“Help her!”
by Panic1AtTheHere
Summary: Skylor has been found with bleeding wrists in an alley in New Ninjago City. She is quickly rushed to hospital after a supposed suicide attempt. However, could there be more to this than it first seems? Rating for safety and because I’m paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

The boy runs down the street as fast as he can move. He knows where the ninja are, and his only goal is to reach them in time. He doesn't stop running, gaining stares from passers-by, but he doesn't care, and keeps moving. He bursts into the coffee shop, searching the room for the heroes he needs. The child spots the ninja in the back corner of the coffee shop, and he weaves his way towards them, carefully dodging around tables and chairs. He reaches the table and stops to regain his breath. The boy in red immediately pulls a pen from his pocket and smiles at the panting boy before him, but the girl next to him elbows his arm, and he brings his hand back in, tucking the pen into a pocket in his ninja suit. The ninja in black looks at the small boy before them and asks,

"What's the matter, kid? You ran down here pretty quick." He sounds genuinely concerned, and the boy gasps for breath before stuttering,

"You have to come quickly, you need to help her." The ninja are all confused, but follow the young boy out of the coffee shop. He sprints back through town, and the ninja run after him. He's abnormally fast for his age, and the ninja have difficulty keeping up with him. The boy leads them to an alley, just one of the hundreds in New Ninjago City. The six ninja all notice the increased number of people crowding around, and their concerns grow. The crowd partially separates, and the boy in blue pushes through, followed closely by the girl, who gasps as she sees what is in front of her. The other ninja struggle to push through the crowd, and a woman's voice calls out to them,

"You have to help her, her wrists are bleeding!" The four remaining boys try to shove through the crowd blocking them from the girl they had to help. The only female ninja rushes back to the ninja in green, and orders him in an undertone,

"Keep Kai back, he can't see this, it'll tear him apart." The green ninja nods, but still struggles through the crowd. He repeats the message to the ninja in black, and together they try to keep the red ninja from reaching the front of the crowd. The ninja in white manages to get through the crowd, and even he gasps at he sight before him. The red ninja shoves through the crowd despite his friends' best efforts, and he drops to his knees beside the girl before him. The redhead's sleeves are stained the same colour as her hair by scarlet blood, and the red ninja's heart throbs painfully. Skylor.

Chapter 1

Kai holds Skylor in his arms as her wrists continue to bleed and the other ninja try to calm the crowd around them. Lloyd pulls his phone from his pocket, dialling the emergency number and within minutes an ambulance pulls up at the mouth of the alleyway, shrouding some of the crowd in darkness and cold. Two paramedics rush out the back of the vehicle, followed by another from the front of it. This is the first time that anyone in Ninjago has seen the red ninja cry, and many others join his sobs with their own. As Skylor is pried from his grip by the paramedics, Cole and Nya attempt to hold Kai back. Skylor is put into the back of the ambulance, and Kai pulls himself from the grips of his sister and friend. He runs after the ambulance, determined to follow it at the same speed until the vehicle came to a stop at the nearest hospital. It soon does, and Skylor is rushed in. Kai tried to follow her, to hold her hand, to make sure she survives, but he is held back by members of the hospital staff. The last he sees of the girl is her body being hurried to a ward, and Kai wonders if he'll ever see his girlfriend alive again.

It's two days until Kai is allowed in to see Skylor. She had been unconscious for over 24 hours, but had finally woken up, relieving the hospital staff and the ninja alike. Kai was there by her side most of the time, whether she was awake or not, as she kept shifting uneasily between the two. Kai was hardly sleeping now too, because if Skylor wasn't okay, nor was he. Even now, he sat beside her bed, holding her hand tightly in his, though not tight enough to cause her pain or discomfort. Her wrists were bandaged securely, as they had been since the incident 2 days ago, and neither of them knew how severe the cuts on her wrists were. All they knew about them was that the slits were not deep, but were long and thin, and that they had caused Skylor to pass out from pain, shock and blood loss. The other ninja occasionally came to see Skylor, but none of them came as often as Kai, who would go down to her room every day, checking on her. No one knew if she would drop at any moment, but the doctors claimed Skylor's condition was improving daily. Skylor, on the other hand, felt like she was deteriorating, fading out of existence and into the dark void beyond, and the only thing that could pull her away from the edge of the bottomless ravine of death was Kai's frequent visits. She had to see him if she was going to heal. Without him, she was nothing, and Kai felt the same way, with or without his elemental power. Around a week passes after the incident before either of the couple screw up the courage to ask about the life-threatening circumstances that Skylor has been in.

"So," Kai nervously pipes up, "what happened that drove you to this point?" He is evidently deeply concerned about Skylor, and it warms her heart to see that someone cares for her. The redhead tries not to get distracted or let the emotion show, however, and pushes a confused expression onto her face.

"What do you mean?" she asks, and Kai raises his eyebrows, motioning towards her arms and wrists.

"Oh, those." The girl slowly nods once, and Kai sharply mimics the action. Skylor takes a deep breath before starting to answer his question.

"It wasn't me. I didn't do it."


	2. Chapter2

Kai is baffled, but Skylor does not seem to notice. Instead, she tries to move her right hand, straining. Before long, she realises that her wrist is tied too tightly for her to move her hand, and the pain from her cuts shoots through her arm as if it were a rocket and sends ripples of it along her body, causing her to shudder hard from head to toe. She gasps at the increase of pain, and her heartbeat quickens in pace, shown by the heart monitor off to her right hand side. Kai looks up at he machine before fixing his gaze back down onto the girl in front of him. Incredulous, he raises his eyebrows.

"What do you mean, it wasn't you?" he asks. The girl turns her head back to face him, and stares into his eyes. Kai can feel his cheeks burning red, like they did every time she did so. She blinks before breaking their mental connection, turning her head over to her right hand side once more. Sighing, she replies,

"I didn't do it. I didn't cut my wrists." Kai is really confused now, but before he can inquire any deeper into the matter, Nya and the other ninja knock on the door to Skylor's room. She allows them to enter, and they do, Nya leading the others in. They all take seats beside Skylor's bed except Cole, who leans against the wall, and Lloyd, who just stands with his arms crossed.

"How are you feeling?" Nya is the first to break the silence, and Skylor replies,

"I've felt a whole lot better, but I'm improving a bit. I think." Her response is vague but hopeful, and Kai realises that his girlfriend is a fighter in many different ways. _She truly is a warrior._ The ninja and Skylor exchange few words, and no one seems entirely comfortable in the room, so they sit in silence for most of the time. It's only an hour or so before the other ninja leave, asking if Kai will join them. Declining, Kai remains seated next to Skylor, his hand still gripping hers. The others exit, and Kai is once again left how he wants to be - alone with Skylor, albeit in a terrible location and situation. Leaning in closer to her so that he can better hear her weak and tired voice, Kai resumes their previous conversation.

"How did this happen then?" He inquires, attempting to tie up any loose ends he can find.

"I can't remember entirely," Skylor replies truthfully, straining her memory for anything of importance from the previous week, before the incident, "but I got ambushed in that alleyway." After Kai asks for a more detailed explanation, Skylor sighs and racks her memory harder. Before long, she shrugs and shakes her head. "That's all I can remember. I was ambushed near the mouth of that alley, and when I woke up, there was someone in a mask standing over me with some kind of knife. I don't know if it was a man or a woman, but I think it was a girl." Kai remembers the last time he faced a masked enemy, and memories of Harumi are still a tender subject within the ninja team. After her reveal as the Quiet One and subsequent death, she has hardly been spoken about, and for good reason. Skylor has also faced Harumi, and she knows how difficult it can be to defeat an opponent who you know nothing about. Trying to push the painful moments from their minds, Kai and Skylor attempt to move on with their conversation, and Skylor explains how she had just left her job after her shift and had been walking through New Ninjago City when she had been kidnapped and taken into the alley. There, she was tortured for information about the ninjas' hideout, and while she had tried her best to hide any and all information she had knowledge of, Skylor may had given a bit or two of what her attacker had wanted. By the end of the couple's exchange, Skylor is evidently ashamed, but she tries to hide her emotions, which she has just been getting good at again. Kai rests his hand on her left shoulder, trying to comfort Skylor, and she tilts her head to lay it across his hand. Smiling at each other, they remain in their positions for a few minutes. Once the moment ends, however, Skylor lifts her head and tries to pull herself upright in the hospital bed. Her hands slip across the mattress, and pain once again traverses down her limbs, increasing her heart rate for a second time. Tears form in her eyes, and Kai brushes them away with the back of his hand, then helps her to sit up in a rather comfortable position. Without the use of her hands and wrists, Skylor feels like an even greater burden to the ninja than before. She feels that she is now nothing more than a useless wanna-be, and while Kai contradicts her opinions with his own, she is unconvinced. Before long, the conversation returns to its previous premise - Skylor's "suicide attempt". She continuously denies that she voluntarily slit her wrists and claims she is desperately trying to cling onto life simply to prove to her attacker that she is stronger than she seems, and Kai believes every word she says.

Chapter 3

After the longest two weeks of their lives, Skylor is finally released from hospital, and the ninja, with the assistance of PIXAL, Dareth and a few other close friends, throw a "welcome back" party for her. The party is a blast, until Kai and Skylor spread the fact that Skylor did not attempt suicide. The ninja have gathered this, as Skylor was so glad to have survived her attack when they saw her in the hospital, but are still shocked when Skylor relays her story to them.

"So who do you have suspicions about?" Nya asks when the story has been explained, gaining stares and questioning looks from her peers. "Oh, come on guys, every time there's a murder or even an attempted murder, the victim and their friends always have suspicions! So who do we have on the radar for this one?"

"No one." is Skylor's simple reply, which gets even more questioning looks from the others. Skylor sighs deeply before describing her situation in more detail. "I didn't see who was wearing the mask, and it wasn't a mask I recognise, so it couldn't have been a copy of one of the Oni masks. Besides, all three of those were destroyed. I think they had a bit more of a feminine build, but I can't remember exactly. The mask also distorted their original voice when they spoke, so I can't say if their voice was familiar to me." Skylor holds her head in her hands for a brief moment before her head raises again. "So we don't have any leads of any kind. In other words, whoever did this is under the radar." Every head in the vicinity bows slightly, their owners either thinking deeply about the issue presented to them, wondering who would act in such a manner or thinking of their own suspects and leads. The room is silent for five full awkward minutes until Kai clears his throat, drawing all eyes to him. Thrown off guard by the sudden attention and focus directed at him, Kai shrugs and mumbles something about who Skylor had been with that day, to which she replies,

"No one. I was alone after leaving the noodle house. I didn't know or recognise anyone in the street from anywhere, so again, we have no leads." Cole groans and throws his hands in the air, tired.

"Why are we chasing this up?" he complains. "We aren't the cops or detectives! We're ninja! We fight, not suspect people of attempted murder!" Nya and Jay sigh in unison.

"In case you're not aware or you simply weren't paying attention," Lloyd starts his explanation, but is interrupted by Nya, who mumbles under her breath so that only a couple of the people in the room could hear, "It wouldn't be the first time." The whole room erupts in laughter, and Cole blushes deep red. After a half minute, Lloyd continues,

"Yes, she has a point. Anyway, whether you were or not, the cops and detectives all think that Skylor really did try to commit suicide, so they don't have a reason to chase this up, meaning that the job falls to us to make sure that justice is handed to those who deserve it to be!" Led by Skylor, the company in the room nod, save for Lloyd, Cole, PIXAL and Dareth. The rest of the evening is spent in quiet conversation between the ninja and friends, until some members like Dareth have to leave for their own homes again. Skylor and PIXAL both decide to stay for the night, and they each set up mattresses in their boyfriends' rooms, PIXAL in with Zane and Skylor in with Kai. At first, Kai protests to Skylor sleeping on the floor and insists she take the bed while he sleeps on the floor, but she emerges victorious, and stays with her current sleeping place on the spare mattress on the floor next to Kai's bed.

It's a rough night for Skylor, her wrists preventing her from getting into a comfortable position. Her bandages are tight and pressing, and her hands are starting to turn blue. She yelps before waking. Kai has leapt from his bed and now has his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Skylor breathes heavily, Kai trying his best to calm her down. After twenty minutes, Kai wins his argument and the two swap beds. It is easier for Skylor to settle again, but her wrists are still sore. Her hands, however, are their usual tone. Sighing, she curls up under the covers and sleeps soundlessly till dawn.

The next morning, Skylor wakes late. Even Kai has woken and left the room before she can even get her eyes open. When she does, she notices for the first time what Kai's room actually looks like. It's not too different from her own in her house, and Skylor wonders if they're more connected than they seem. Brushing hair from her face, Skylor yawns and gets out of bed. The curtains are slightly open, and light pierces the gap, streaming into the room and bouncing off her skin, which glows in response. Hazel eyes half closed, Skylor walks around the room, attempting to shake the drowsiness from her body. Within two minutes, she's awake properly, dressed, and strolling over to the window to pull the curtains back. She gazes into the outside area and smiles. The sheer mountain face drops at a near vertical angle only a few hundred feet away from her window, blocking almost all of the forest, which appears as a small, dark green smudge in the distance. Kai soon creeps back to the room, wanting to see if Skylor is awake, and she jumps as the door opens. He stands there, noticing the empty bed and raises his eyebrows. Before he can turn his head, she walks up to him and takes his hand. Kai smiles as he looks at her, glad to see her up and moving again. The two share a quick kiss, and fire burns through Kai's body, leaving his fingers tingling before she pulls away. He smiles again, and they leave the room.

"How are you feeling?" Kai asks, still grinning like a fool.

"Better, I guess." Skylor replies, gazing up at him as she walks down the hall. He nods, finally letting his smile fade. The kitchen is empty when they enter, and Skylor guesses that the other Ninja must be training outside. Skylor and Kai soon join them, and everyone stops training when they walk out. Skylor sits by the open gate, gesturing to Kai for him to train while she watches. Knowing she can't train with the ninja, Skylor analyses their techniques, searching for anything she can practise or use when her wrists have healed. Nya and Jay battle next to her, and his laugh is clearly audible as Nya takes him down and pins him onto the floor. Jay then gets up and sits next to Skylor, while Nya walks over to join them. Kai beats Cole, and Lloyd beats Zane. Lloyd then proposes a tournament, and Skylor flinches at the word. Kai is the only one to notice, and he knows exactly why. He remembers how she was treated by her father during his own tournament, used as a weapon against the ninja, and how she had been told to take everyone's elemental powers. Chen had also forced her to risk her life just so that he could become an Anacondrai warrior, which in turn changed his entire army, including Skylor. Kai takes her hand, trying to mentally tell her that she'll be safe here. The ninja have agreed to make the monastery the most welcoming place for Skylor, and they are not about to break their promise.

After two more days, Skylor takes the bandages off her wrists. Her arms are pale, and the cuts are scabbed and bright pink. Knowing they'll leave scars, Skylor frowns. Now she'll forever have false proof of what had happened. _Great._ _Now I'm an even bigger freak. _Kai holds her shoulder, and bites his lip when he sees the scabs. The couple look at each other, their eyes mirroring the same emotion - concern. Concern and fear. Fear for what had happened, fear for what is happening, fear for what will happen. Skylor seems to live in the stuff these days. But surely things can get better. Or can they?


	3. Chapters4-5

**I realise now I probably should have warned you guys that this would include an OC, and I'm sorry for not doing so. Also, I apologise for my crappy time table for uploading these new chapters, but like I mentioned in my Author's Note at the end of Together (my newest one shot if you wanna go check that out if you haven't already), my schedule has been really busy with no sign of slowing down. I should have some time tomorrow, though, so hopefully there'll be a new instalment soon enough. Anyway, enough of me talking, you didn't come here for that. Enjoy the next chapters. **

Chapter 4

Skylor can barely walk through New Ninjago City these days without people staring at her out of the corners of their eyes. She tries her hardest to ignore it, but sometimes stuff like that will break down your barriers around yourself and they will pierce your mind like knives through skin. Skylor has never had strong barriers, and things like this always seem to get to her. She doesn't know what she'd do without the ninja, and is grateful to have Kai at her side wherever she goes. Kai seems to have gotten gentler recently, and though she hates to take credit for his change, Skylor has to believe it's because of her recent pain. And it is.

Skylor has been adjusting to her scabbed wrists, and tests her limits often, annoying Kai and putting all the other ninja on guard. Since she's only recently left the hospital after her ambush, her wrists are still aching, occasionally sending pangs of pain up her arms and paralysing her. One day, Skylor will be able to complete a move, the next day she'll be rendered useless by the pain it's caused her wrists to ignite. These attacks have caused all of the ninja to pay more attention to what Skylor is doing at all times, and they all watch her train, taking it in turns to do so. Kai often volunteers himself to watch her or to train with her, and the other ninja, knowing his fondness for her, let him, strengthening the bond between the couple and the team.

One morning, Skylor and Kai are training in the grounds of the newly rebuilt monastery when one of Skylor's attacks happens. As if an alarm had been triggered inside the building, all of the other ninja rush over to their side, trying to help Skylor pull through the pain in her arms. She succeeds, but doesn't seem as relieved as the ninja are. Instead, she walks away silently, not answering anyone's questions about if she's okay. She heads to the spare room that she's staying in, and shuts the door behind her the second after she steps in. She collapses onto her bed, and nearly passes out before a light tap on the door shakes her back into the World of the Awake. Skylor slowly lifts her head as Kai steps into the room, and she sighs, glad that it's only him, none of the other ninja behind him. Kai shuts the door and sits down next to Skylor on her bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. It's a few minutes before either of them speak.

"What's wrong?" Kai can't keep his curiosity quiet any longer, though he tries to credit it to his care for Skylor. _Curiosity killed the cat and all that. _Skylor silently curses Kai's bluntness before sighing again.

"Nothing." Skylor replies. Why does she always do that? _Every time someone tries to talk to you, to check on you, you just block them out. Why can't you ever open up to someone about how you're feeling? _Kai isn't convinced by her empty answer, and presses on. He repeats his question but with a little more force. Skylor has no choice. Again.

"I just..." she begins, but she soon finds it to be harder than she had expected to open up to someone. _Now I get why I can't do this. _"I hate being the weak one. I had being the centre of attention just because of my wrists. I didn't even do this, so why am I being coddled and treated like a child all of time? I've pushed my limits before, I had no choice when I worked for my father, and now I'm being told not to do things I know I can do, and I'm sick of it." Skylor can't stop the flow of words and emotions, and she doesn't register the tears rolling down her cheeks until Kai reaches to wipe them away, which she lets him do. Kai sighs quietly and softly.

"I understand how you feel." Skylor looks at Kai suddenly, confused about why he'd ever feel that he's the weak one of the team. She voices her thought, and Kai shrugs.

"Back when Pythor was trying to get all of the Fangblades to unleash the Great Devourer, we all unlocked our true potentials." Skylor nods - she knew this much. Everyone did in New Ninjago City. Kai continues. "Well, I was the last one to get mine, and until then, I felt so, I don't know, minor and insignificant compared to the others. They had all found out what was holding them back, and they had overcome the problems. I still hadn't. And that made me desperate to prove myself. To prove I wasn't the weak one." Kai takes a few deep breaths before continuing. "When I found out what was keeping me back, though, I realised that I was just as strong as the others, but I was only strong in different areas of my personality. I knew who I was, I was comfortable being myself, and I had decent relationships with those around me. Those were what had been holding the others back, and I had something different keeping me from being as good as I could be. I wasn't over not being the green ninja." Skylor raises her eyebrows after Kai's story, and gazes down at her lap. After a minute or so, she looks back at Kai and smiles weakly.

"You're right." she mumbles. "I just need to..." What she needs to do, however, is drowned out by the sounds of running feet and blaring sirens. Nya charges into Skylor's room and tells Kai and Skylor about the reports of an emergency in New Ninjago City. Both of them spring up from the bed and race after Nya to the Destiny's Bounty, the ninjas' flying ship.

The journey to the city is short, and the ninja arrive in less than five minutes. PIXAL soon drops down in her Samurai X mech to help the ninja, but there is no sign of the threat. Until a large mech, twice the size of PIXAL's drops down from a nearby rooftop, shaking the ground and making most of the ninja and friends fall over. Chaos ensues as Nya, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd and PIXAL all leap into action, firing water, lightning, earth, ice, green energy and missiles at the large metal suit of armour, which goes soaring up into the air, flying over the whole group and landing on its feet behind us. Kai is slower to react, and Skylor seems paralysed in one spot. Trying to shake her back into their current situation, Kai prods her arm gently. She soon snaps back into reality, and shoots fire from her hands. Kai mimicks her, and each attack is elemental from that point on, except PIXAL's occasional missile from her mech. Using her wide arsenal of powers, Skylor appears and disappears frequently before slamming into the mech a different power, including Karloff's metal to cover her body, making her stronger with a bigger impact, to Jay's lightning to Neuro's mind power to try to identify who the person controlling the mech is.

"Whoever they are," she calls out after prodding into their mind a few times, "they know how to guard their mind well! I can't tell who it is!" Alarmed, the other ninja try even harder to take the mech down. PIXAL soon jumps back in, and tackles the larger mech. The person inside squeezes themself out of the machine. Hoping to get to look a their face, Skylor leaps onto the person, trying to tear the mask they wear off their face. As she reaches out, Skylor's wrists burst into pain, and she screams from the impact. The masked person then slams their fist into her chest, flinging her backwards. Her head smacks into the concrete ground, send flashing lights into her vision. Everything goes dark.

When she opens her eyes, Skylor doesn't recognise her surroundings. All she knows is she's in another alleyway. Once again, the ninja are crowded around her. Kai kneels beside her, holding her hand.

"What happened back there?" she asks groggily, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. Kai sighs.

"They got away. We didn't stand a chance against them. Even Pix couldn't take them on. Whoever they were, they're good. I'll give them that."

"So you still don't know who it was?" Kai shakes his head. Footsteps in the alleyway announce someone's arrival, and every head turns in that direction. A masked figure appears, the one from the street fight. Behind them, another set of steps can be heard. From the shadows of the alley, out steps a young girl.

Chapter 5

Every ninja pulls their weapon of choice from their holders on their backs and waists, and all of them are aimed at the two figures. The person from the street fight has more of a masculine build than the girl behind them, leading everyone to believe that they are a male. The girl, however, gets the most attention. She is about Nya's age, with brown hair pulled into a ponytail closely resembling Skylor's. She is dressed in deep purple. Her eyes are hazel, like Skylor's left one. Skylor glares at the girl, who stares daggers back at her.

"Claire." Skylor raises her voice at the girl, who remains silent. "What do you want?" The girl, who the other ninja assume is Claire, shrugs her shoulders.

"I'm surprised you need to ask, to be honest." her response confuses the ninja and Samurai X, but Skylor seems unfazed by it. Instead, she only stares harder at Claire, who folds her arms. Claire pushes on. "Do you remember the last things we said to each other before you betrayed our father and joined the ninja?"

"First off," Skylor puts one finger up and taps it with two fingers with her other hand. "He wasn't _our_ father, only _mine_. Second, yes. I remember." Claire grinned now, an evil smirk that resembled Chen's. Kai stares furiously at the girl too, enraged and fueled by his memories given to him by the evil cult leader.

"What were they then?" Claire demands, and Skylor's eyes harden. She takes a deep breath before replying.

"You said that no matter what, you'd get me. You'd get me back for whatever I did to Chen. And I told you what I knew about..." Skylor pauses. Claire flinches as Skylor names her father, and quickly starts to speak over Skylor.

"How dare you refer to him by name! Have you no shame, no respect?" Skylor ignores Claire's outburst, and ploughs on.

"I told you that I knew you wanted me dead, and how you were dating my boyfriend behind my back." Now it's Kai's turn to flinch - he wasn't the first? Then who was? Claire grins again, sending shivers down the ninjas' spines. Even Zane seems disturbed by the girl's smirk, which just proves to the other ninja how bad she is.

"You know, Skylor," Claire's voice is sly, but her words are clear and ring out through the alleyway, reverberating against the walls and in the ninjas' ears. "What with the way the media is portraying you at the moment, it looks like we both have murder on our minds, just in different ways..." Skylor gasps, and lunges at her sister, eyebrows raised, eyes wide and bright.

"It was _you!_" She exclaims, glaring at Claire. "You tried to kill me and make it look like an attempted suicide!" Claire chuckles, a deep, maniacal laugh that echoes down the alley. Jay, Nya, Kai and Lloyd all shiver again at the sound. Skylor holds Claire by the neck against one of the walls of the alleyway, chocking her. The masked figure from the street fight launches himself forward, igniting Kai's passion, which in turn sparks the fire on his hands. Kai flies towards the masked man, desperate to protect his girl. He slams into the other male, who backsteps. Cole jumps into the fight, landing behind the guy in the mask. He is closely followed by Jay, Nya, Lloyd, PIXAL and Zane, who all land around the masked fighter. He laughs evilly, before a flame lights up his back, shooting him into the sky like a rocket, his chuckle ringing in everyone's ears as he disappears into the sky. Claire takes her chance to kick out at her sister, freeing herself from being pinned against the wall any longer. She flings herself at Skylor, who doesn't have time to react before being slammed into the wall behind her. The impact makes a thud that can be heard all through the town centre, reverberating off walls, windows and people alike. As Skylor's vision clouds over, the last thing she sees is Claire sprinting out of the alley before being grabbed by the wrists by the large mech from the street fight, still laughing like a maniac. The world then went black.

**A/N: So boom. There you go. Two more chapters to think over. Thank you all for your comments and reviews, and I hope you're all enjoying this story. Again, sorry for not uploading much for this story recently, but I've also my oneshots for you guys to read in the meantime. If anyone has any ideas for a one shot for me to write about, let me know. See you guys in the next chapter or one shot! Also, who do you guys think the masked dude could be? Let me know who you think it is! Finally, thanks to Dyphen and Dr. Fluffmuffin for the reviews on Together. Go check that out if you haven't already, and go read some of Dyhpen's stuff, she's great. ;)**

**LunaPikazard, signing off for however long it's gonna be until I post again. **


	4. History

**Wow. That was quick.**

**That's right, I'm back! It's getting late here and I've been losing sleep to write these stories recently, since I wrote Soulmates (my first one shot in case you didn't know). So yeah, I'm tired. Not to mention I had a rough, long day in London today and found out that my precious dragon figure I recently bought had fallen out of my window and smashed on the driveway... so yeah, tough day. Anyway, here's the next two chapters. Enjoy. **

Chapter 6

Skylor wakes. It's dark. Still. She can feel soft pajamas on her body, with a thick cover over the top, as well as a comfortable mattress supporting her weight. Of course, she's in her bed back home. Duh, it was just a bad dream. Claire isn't in Ninjago, she's in the Cursed Realm with Chen. At least, she was until it was destroyed... oh right, the Departed Realm. Of course. She was one of Chen's army.

_Calm down, Skylor, it was just a dream. Go back to sleep. No need to worry. _But is this her room? She doesn't recognise the small round window near her feet, or the oval door whose knob handle gleams in the moonlight that streams through the uncovered open window. Nor does she recognise the wardrobe in the far corner, the shape of the room, the colour of the walls, of the duvet over her body. Suddenly, Skylor remembers where she is - the Monastery of Spinjitzu. Of course! That makes more sense. Skylor pushes the duvet off herself and twists out of the bed. Her wrists twinge with pain from the day's fights, and she winces, trying to keep her sharp intake of breath as quiet as possible so as not to wake anyone else up. Skylor slowly tiptoes her way over to the window and looks out over the landscape laid out in front of her eyes. The view from here is similar to the view she had in Kai's room - the mountain face drop a few hundred feet away, the dark green smudge of forest that is just visible past the rocks, the dark sky scattered with jewels, a small lake off to the left of the forest, the sea to the other side, invisible from behind the Monastery due to the sheer drop in the mountain and the permanent mist and fog obscuring the waves. In both sunlight and moonlight, it's a glorious sight to behold. Peacefully, Skylor pads back to her bed and drops down into it. Burrowing down under her covers, she thinks back to her conversation with Claire earlier that day. She would have to explain her story to the ninja one day. And that day would have to be the next one. It was going to take a long time and a lot of energy. Exhausted, Skylor passed out and slept until daybreak.

Chapter 7

"Claire isn't my blood sister." Skylor begins. It's the next morning, and despite the few hours since her midnight awakening, she's still shattered and unprepared to share her history with her attempted murderer. The ninja all nod in unison, accepting Skylor's beginning. She takes a beep breath before plunging into a detailed recount of her life on Chen's island with her 'sister'.

"And just before I joined your alliance to fight Chen, Claire swore that she would get me. That she would kill me. She's had murder on her mind since, and her attack on me has proved that." Skylor got to the end of her story, having left out some of the unimportant or personal stuff. None the less, it's taken an hour to get to that point of the conversation, and Skylor is even more fatigued than before, if that's physically possible. Almost every ninja in the room nods again, but Kai, Jay and Lloyd all look slightly confused.

"Wait," Lloyd interrupts, "if Claire is part of Chen's army, why wasn't she taken into the Cursed Realm with the rest of them when my father sacrificed himself to it?" Skylor knew they'd get confused about that, and she had prepared herself the previous night in case of that question rising.

"She doesn't have a tattoo." This explanation causes confused expressions to appear on every ninja's face, and Skylor shakes her head. "She was going to get hers the day after the battle at the Corridor of Elders, but my father and all those with the tattoos got taken into the Cursed Realm. She also wasn't present at the fight, so her soul wasn't taken in unlike the rest of them. She was in New Ninjago City at that point, though she didn't have a squadron of Anacondrai my father had... made. She was alone with... my ex." Skylor rubs the back of her neck out of shame, and Kai wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace, to comfort her. Smiling, Skylor leans into his hold before plunging back into her story. "I don't know if he was taken into the Cursed Realm too, but I have a feeling that he didn't. That he's still in Ninjago City. He didn't have a tattoo either as he was new and Chen wasn't sure if he could be trusted." Kai gasps quietly upon receiving this information, but Jay's, Lloyd's and Zane's gasps are much more audible than Kai's.

"So... is that who the guy in the mech was?" Cole asks, his voice dripping with confusion.

"Yes." Skylor nods in response. "That was Steven."

**Woah, two uploads in one night? Well, I say night, it's now twenty minutes into the morning, and I'm more shattered than Skylor, which is saying something. If you got the question from my previous Note correct, saying it was her ex behind the mask in the mech, congrats, you get a gold star sticker *slaps sticker on own chest* well done! *thumbs up***

**So yeah, those were the next chapters. Have fun thinking those over. **

**LunaPikazard**


	5. Gone

**I'm back y'all! How're you all doing? Anyway, recap time! **

**_Previously on "Help her!"_**

**_Skylor explained her backstory to the ninja and co., after they found out who tried to kill her. Yeah that's it. _**

**So now what? You'll find out pretty soon. Also, I released a new one-shot today called Scars, so go read that if you want to. I might actually make that a one-shot collection, so be prepared for that. Anyway, enough of this, onto the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah!" Jay exclaims, causing Nya to roll her eyes at her boyfriend. "What do you mean, 'that's Steven'?!" Your ex boyfriend tried to kill us?!"

"Basically, yeah." Skylor responds bluntly. Jay's mouth drops. Kai re-enters the room from the kitchen carrying a tray of mugs.

"It doesn't matter who the guy was," he says as he passes out coffees, teas and hot chocolates to the ones who asked for them, "but who the girl is. Why does your adopted sister want to kill you so bad?" All eyes shoot to Skylor, and she sighs lightly.

"My father would make us fight each other on a daily basis, much like he would with your father," she motions to Lloyd, "and Clouse years beforehand. Every time, I was stronger, faster, smarter, and every time Claire would lose. He would time us, and if we reached ten minutes of pure fighting, he would call a tie, announcing that we were finally equals. But that day never came. I would always prevail, and Claire would be... beaten. He wanted her to be my equal, if not better than me, and Claire just wanted to defeat me in combat. She became hungry for power, for victory, and would ambush me as I walked around the island. Even then, with no preparations, I would twist the situation to my advantage, making me victorious. She could never win. I was afraid of meeting the same punishment as she did, so I never stopped training myself. She became even more bloodthirsty, and that drove her past her breaking point. That's why she tried to kill me. Why she still tries." The others in the room are silent, and Skylor bows her head. She's exhausted, and just wants to go back to bed, never to wake up again. "Even now, she's probably plotting her next attack, plotting my demise."

"Well, we won't let that happen!" Kai nearly shouts from the other side of the room. Everyone cries out in agreement even as the front doors of the monastery's courtyard are blown open, though not by wind. Red lights spiral across the walls, ceiling and floor as sirens wail like crying children, alarming the ninja as to the break-in. Skylor leads the charge into the courtyard, and they all burst out of the door of the monastery to find Claire and Steven, still masked, standing there. Steven leans against the smouldering doorframe, silent as the tiger stalking its prey. Claire stands by the painted mural and examines the pictures carefully.

"Oh wow!" Claire exclaims as she looks at the images. "Will you look at that! Skylor, I can't find you _anywhere _on here. Maybe you're not as important as we all thought." Steven laughs, the sound distorted through his mask, almost as if he is trying to remind the ninja of the times of lying and deceit they've been through - Nya refusing to tell anyone of her secret alter ego, Jay not admitting that he was bitten by a Fangpyre, Kai's 'betrayal' during the Tournament of Element, Skylor spying on the ninja for Chen at the same time, and now this. _We've been through some sh— _Thoughts are interrupted by Master Wu and Misako climbing the steps to the building, blind to the intruders. Immediately, the ninja pull their weapons and some leap over their enemies to cover their mentor from attacks.

"Well _done_, ninja." Claire taunts from her place by the mural wall, "you've boxed us in." She slowly, sarcastically, claps her hands, annoying almost everyone in the vicinity. Nya growls like an animal from by the door, and Claire's eyes flick to the other girl before Lloyd summons a giant ball of glowing green energy. Her eyes then shoot to the youngest member of the team, her eyebrows raising in mock disbelief. "You'd attack an unarmed woman?" The ninja try not to falter, but a few unconsciously go to lower their weapons slowly. Claire chuckles and rips a dagger from a pocket on her arm as she throws herself at Cole, who, alongside Kai, Zane, Jay and Lloyd, tries to fight back. Steven then launches himself over the fray towards Skylor, but Nya jumps inbetween them, unsheathing a gleaming sword. Steven copies her, and the noises of swordfighting can be heard from miles around, tearing through the empty air like scissors through paper. Skylor slides into the fight, aiding the girl ninja. She pulls a borrowed black katana from her back and slices at the armoured man who assisted in her attempted murder. The blade glances over the shining plates over Steven's arms and shoulders, and he turns after pushing Nya back, swinging his own sword at Skylor. The girl in amber barely jumps backwards in time to avoid getting her legs amputated, before she realises how to harm the guy under the gleaming black armour. Reaching out to Nya's mind with her own, using Neuro's elemental power, Skylor tells Nya to aim for the slitted gaps in the boy's armour, like the ones on his arms, legs and chest. Nya doesn't have time to respond before the connection is severed, and Skylor lunges towards her ex, her blade reflecting a grey mirror image of the bright midday sun back into the sky. _Right now, I'd love to have the Sword of Sanctuary in my hand... _While Steven parries Skylor's blow, Nya sticks her own silver blade into one of the gaps on the male's armour over his left arm, and she feels the blade pierce skin. In response, Steven yells out from pain and shock, flinging Skylor back and aiming another blow to Nya's head. She ducks just in time, barely dodging the point of the sword. She flings her katana up a second time, aiming for the head. It hits his mask, sending it flying upwards and over the wall of the monastery's yard. His face is finally revealed. The first thing Nya notices about him is the large, dark burn scar across the right side is his face. It looks as if he came into direct contact with a flame, and Nya wonders how one could be so stupid as to stick their head in an open fire. She then pays attention to the rest of his features. His nose if crooked slightly, and is currently bleeding a bit, crimson blood dripping from his nostrils and covering his skin, streaming down onto his thin lips. His eyes are green, and gleam at the girls as he backs away until he and Claire make contact, literally covering the other's back. His hair is dark brown, and shines in the sunlight pouring down onto the fight. He is tall, with pale skin, and Nya guesses that he doesn't get out much. _Why would you if you were a part of Chen's army and were plotting to kill someone in broad daylight? _The thought is sarcastic, and Nya tries to push it to the back of her head. The man grins, showing teeth that have been sharpened to an abnormal point, giving him the look of a brown wolf that has been sleep-deprived. His eyes have dark shadows beneath them, helping the image to convey itself. His laugh, without the mask, is deep and strange, with high and low notes thrown in at odd intervals. He sounds insane, and his appearance doesn't do him any justice. The ninja slowly step in, narrowing the distance between the two sides, and Steven laughs harder, Claire's chuckle joining his. His back, once again, lights up, and the man soars into the air before coming full circle and grabbing Claire's left wrist. As she lifts off the ground, Claire tries to reach out to grab Skylor by the arm to pull her away, but Nya leaps in front of her, being caught by the neck. She hits out at Claire, even as they rise into the air, and Jay yells Nya's name, copied by Kai, Skylor, Cole, Lloyd and Zane. PIXAL, on the other hand, remains silent but summons her Samurai X mech to her side. It appears, and PIXAL leaps into it... just as Nya is dropped over the edge of the mountain face. Jay runs through the doorway out of the courtyard, screaming. Kai, Zane, Lloyd and Cole follow him, and Skylor pulls herself over the wall as Nya topples past the lip of the mountain drop. The older girl can see Nya's dark fingertips against the grey rock, and Skylor drops down to the ground to grab the younger girl. She's too late, however, and Nya lets go, unable to hold on any longer. Jay leaps over the edge, and Kai jumps, grabbing his ankles. Lloyd throws himself over, copying Kai. He is followed by Zane and, finally, Cole as they grasp the ankles of the one in front of them. Skylor watches in shock and fear as Cole nearly falls off the edge too, but his feet stay plastered against the rock face. He pulls his brothers-by-bond back up, and Skylor holds her breath. Finally, a melancholy Kai appears over the rock again, followed by a sobbing Jay, but no Nya. Skylor gasps. _She's gone. _

_**That's right, it's finishing here! Haha! **_

**Don't worry, I'll have a new chapter out soon, but this one was longer than I expected and it's now really early and I have a long day tomorrow. Well, really, I have a long day _in eight hours,_ but ya know, I sacrifice a lot to write these. And by a lot, I mean a lot of hours of sleep. Oh well, your average teen only needs 8 hours right? I had eight hours until I need to get up (more or less) so that's fine. Anyway, yeah that's that. I'm only releasing one chapter now, cos yeah, I'm tired and... yeah just read what I said before and that's your reason. So I'll see you guys in about 24 hours, when I'm meant to be sleeping but in reality I'm just writing and posting fan fictions! **

**Yes, Chen was an abusive father in this fanfiction, so if you're not ready for him to be portrayed as an even worse person, prepare yourself, cos I'm not stopping now!**

**Chen was abusive - change my mind if you can!**

**See you guys when I next upload. **

**LunaPikazard. Over and out. **


	6. Nothing

**I'm back! But is Nya? You'll find out soon... *evil smile* anyway, enjoy this next chapter. **

Chapter 9

Cole and Kai slowly lead a crying Jay back into the monastery as Steven and Claire soar over their heads, still laughing like maniacs. Skylor is reminded of her father, and she's once again glad that he's met with death by now. If he was still here, the ninja definitely wouldn't stand a chance, especially now that they've lost their trademark badass water ninja. Skylor follows Zane into the monastery, but a hand lands on her shoulder, turning her body. PIXAL holds Skylor, and looks into her face. Skylor shies, and bows her head again.

"What is it, Pix?" Skylor doesn't really want to know, but if PIXAL wanted Skylor's attention instead of any of the ninjas', it must have been important.

"I will try to find Nya. If I'm quick, I may be able to catch her before she hits the ground, but you will need to cover me. If anyone asks where I am, make up an alibi. No one can know where I am going or what I am doing. Agreed?" PIXAL jumps back into her mech, and Skylor is speechless.

"What are you talking about?" She exclaims, "Nya's probably already on the forest floor by now! And what kind of alibi am I supposed to make?" She never gets her answer, though, as PIXAL takes off, leaving Skylor with unwanted images of PIXAL reaching the bottom of the cliff and finding Nya's broken body, lying lifeless on the ground, a look of shock and fear still plastered on her face from her free fall.

Skylor doesn't go back into the monastery, but pulls herself up onto the roof of it instead. She lays there with her head held by her hands, one leg over the other, waiting for PIXAL's return, or for someone else to realise she's not inside. Kai's head soon appears over the edge of the roof, and he pulls his body up. Laying himself down next to Skylor, he remains silent, staring up at the stars above him.

"Back on my father's island, he led Claire and me to believe that everyone who died and went to heaven got a constellation that could be seen from Ninjago." Skylor pipes up, and Kai turns his head to face her.

"Really?" He asks, shocked. Skylor nods. "My father would tell me the same thing." Now it's Skylor's turn to face her boyfriend, surprised. "And the better the person was, the better their most recent deeds had been—"

"The larger their constellation was." Skylor finishes his sentence, and Kai nods. The couple smile weakly at each other, not able to hide their sadness. Kai places his hand next to Skylor, and she drops hers on top of his. He pulls himself closer to her, and they hold each other until PIXAL returns ten minutes later, empty handed. Skylor's bad mood is exacerbated, and tears form in her eyes. Kai wraps his arm around her waist, and together they drop from the rooftop. PIXAL jumps from her mech and follows the others into the monastery, heads bowed.

"Not even a trace of her?" Kai asks PIXAL, who shakes her head.

"I could not find any sign of Nya at the bottom of that cliff, but I had searched everywhere that she could have landed. I even checked the outskirts of the forest and the edge of the lake and sea, but she wasn't there. She can swim, right?"

"Oh, heck yeah!" Kai nearly laughs at the memories of his sister's swimming abilities, and wonders how he didn't peg her as a water ninja sooner.

"In that case," PIXAL continues, "she should be able to survive if she is at sea or in the lake. Hopefully anyway. Only time will tell, though."

"Wait, did you not find her?" Jay's tearful voice can be heard from the doorway, and Skylor looks over her shoulder with sad eyes before gently shaking her head. Jay's eyes fill with tears again, and Kai stands before walking over to his brother-by-bond, leading him over to the sofa where they are sitting. Skylor keeps her head down as Jay joins the group. _It's all your fault. Why didn't you do something? You could have stopped her from falling. You could have jumped over the side before Zane and helped them get the extra distance they needed to reach her. But you didn't, did you? No. You did nothing and let her fall. _Now Jay isn't the only one in tears, and Kai once again holds Skylor by the shoulders and hugs her tightly. Cole and Zane soon enter the room too and sit by the sofas, mourning the water ninja. Everyone is too busy in their own sorrowful heads that none of them notice the harsh rain begin to fall, accompanied by flashing lightning and deep, angry thunder shouting at the loss of the girl.

Lloyd soon walks in as well, shaking the others out of their thoughts with a shout.

"Guys!" Everyone looks over to the green ninja, who's smiling despite the situation. _We've just lost one of our own! How can you be happy at a time like this?! _Everyone stares at Skylor in shock, and she finds herself standing, hands curled into fists at her sides as she glares at the youngest member of the team. Realising she spoke out loud, Skylor mumbles an apology and sits back down on the sofa next to Kai, who anxiously takes her hand in his. Lloyd doesn't seem too put out by Skylor's furious outburst.

"Nya's beacon!" He exclaims, and everyone's brows knot with confusion. "If we follow her signal, we can find her!" Kai sighs.

"I'm sorry Lloyd, PIXAL's already sweeped the area. She didn't find Nya." Kai then bows his head.

"Wait." Zane mumbles, his voice becoming clearer with every word. "Lloyd may be onto something. What if maybe PIXAL couldn't find Nya down there because Nya _wasn't there_. She might not have actually fallen. She may have found a way to stop her fall. She might be on the steps of the mountain, on her way back up as we speak!"

"Don't get my hopes up." Jay's voice is little more than a whisper as he leaves the room, tears rolling down his cheeks. He's been crying so much, he's been left weak, his eyes drying out. He exits the room, unable to believe that Nya may have survived her fall. Skylor agrees with Jay. _There's no way she's survived. _Skylor stands, dropping Kai's hand, and follows Jay's suit. She walks slowly to her room, but she is grabbed from behind by someone with a strong grip. Turning slowly, Skylor finds that she doesn't care who it is who's grabbed her. It could have been anyone, from Jay, to Nya, to Cyrus Borg, to Claire or even Death itself, and she wouldn't have batted an eye. Instead, Kai stands before her. Skylor sighs as she leans into his chest. Kai wraps his arms around his girlfriend, rocking on his feet from side to side, trying to calm them both down. Kai slowly loosens his grip and looks Skylor in eye before pulling her into his own room instead of hers. That night, they huddle close together in Kai's bed, unable to sleep, only able to cry as they think about the girl they lost.

**Boom. Done. I'm going to bed now. Good night. Or should I say... good morning? Yeah. That's a lot more accurate. **

**Anyway, that was Chapter 9. Lloyd may have been onto something, we'll find out int he next chapter *sly smile* *starts to cry* NYAAAAAA...**

**Gosh I feel like Jay. Anyway, hope you... should you guys have enjoyed that? I don't know. I hope you guys reacted how you'd expect someone to react to that kind of thing. See you guys soon. **

**LunaPikazard. Signing out. *screen closes***


	7. ‘Prophecy’

**Sorry for the long delay for this chapter, but I've been busy recently! Sorry guys, I know, I'm a terrible human being! *holds up hands in mock surrender* Anyway, let's go!**

**_Previously on "Help her!":_**

**_Nya got dropped from the monastery and she fell over the edge of the mountain. PIXAL followed her, but couldn't find her. Skylor, Kai, Jay and PIXAL are all freaking out and mourning her. Lloyd thinks they can follow her beacon to find her, but that gets turned down. _**

**_Yeah. _**

**Now, onto the chapter!**

Chapter 10

Skylor can't sleep. Kai holds her close for the second night in a row, and his head rests next to hers. She stares at the ceiling, not seeing anything. The shadows of the room close in on her, and her breathing speeds up. _Why didn't you do anything? You could have helped her, stopped her from falling. You were close enough. All you had to do was reach out to grab her. You could have jumped over the edge with the other ninja. Then you would have had the extra distance you needed to reach her. To save her. But no. You just let her fall. _Skylor tries to pull through the thoughts, to save herself, and Kai's eyes flick open as she flings herself upright in the bed. He gently lays his hand on her shoulder. Skylor flinches at the contact, and Kai instinctively pulls his hand back. Noticing it's just Kai, not some nightmarish mix between her 'sister' and Claire's boyfriend, Skylor's breathing slows and she relaxes slightly.

"It's okay Sky." Kai whispers to her, trying to calm her down. "I'm here. You're gonna be okay. She's not here." _That's the problem. She's not here._ Skylor tried to hold back fresh tears, but a few spill from her eyes. Kai's brow knits with worry and sympathy, and he pulls his girlfriend into a tight embrace. She sobs into his shoulder for a few minutes, and Kai shushes her to help her calm down. Neither of them sleep from then, and they wait for dawn to break.

Once the sun finally peeks over the horizon, the two rise from the bed and Skylor leaves Kai's room for her own to change. Five minutes later, they enters the kitchen. The clocks chime seven in the main building of the monastery, and Skylor looks up expectantly, before remembering that Nya's gone. Forever. Lloyd soon enters the kitchen, nodding to Kai and Skylor as he gets a bowl from the cupboard, pouring himself cereal. _Even without her, his schedule hasn't changed. It's like he's hardly noticed she's gone. _Seemingly knowing what she's thinking, Kai wraps his arm around Skylor's shoulders, gently gripping her arm comfortingly. She smiles at him weakly, and Kai returns the gesture. By ten, all of the ninja are awake and training except Jay, who still hasn't emerged from his room. Worried, the ninja send Cole in to check on his best friend. Within five minutes, he returns to the training ground with a concerned look on his face.

"He won't talk to me." Cole shakes his head as he speaks before his eyes land on Skylor. "But he wants to talk to you." Skylor's anxiety immediately rises, and she slowly walks into the monastery. Her thoughts cloud over with fear and confusion as she steps closer to Jay's room. She arrives before long, and she knocks, heart in her mouth.

"Come in." Jay's weak voice just makes it through the door, and Skylor guesses that he hadn't slept either, instead spending the night crying for his fallen yang. She gently pushes the door open to find the boy-in-blue sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed. He quickly wipes tears from his eyes as he looks up at Skylor. He sighs, seeming a bit more relaxed now that he knows that it's only her. "Thank the First Spinjitzu Master. It's you." Skylor nods, but keeps her facial expression blank as she approaches him. She crosses her own legs as she sits on the floor by his feet, looking up at Jay, who shuffles uncomfortably across his duvet. Skylor cocks her head to the side questioningly, a new subconscious action she's picked up from Nya. _Crap. _Jay's eyes fog up again as he watches Skylor's action, and she immediately feels worse.

"What's wrong Jay?" Skylor can't take it any further. _Just cut to the chase already! Go ahead, knock me out or something for indirectly killing your yang. I deserve it. _Jay sighs, and mumbles something under his breath. After Skylor asks him to repeat his statement, Jay's voice gets weaker.

"Why did Claire take her? I thought she would have aimed for you out of all of us." Of course, he wanted to know why she was dropped. _Crap. _

"She did." Skylor's response causes Jay to knit his eyebrows together from confusion. It's her turn to sigh before explaining. "Claire tried to grab my arm. Nya jumped inbetween us. I don't think she planned on getting grabbed though." Jay's eyebrows instantly drop, and Skylor can feel her own eyes filling with tears, hear her voice quavering. Jay nods slowly, sadly, thoughtfully.

"Yeah."

"So, is there anything else bothering you?" Skylor tries to keep her impatience under cover, and succeeds when Jay nods, surprise taking over. "Well, what is it?"

"It's just..." Jay begins, moving his hands in a constant circular motion when he stops, unable to think of how to word his worry. _He's been doing that a lot lately. A new habit maybe? Probably one from_

_Nya. _"It's just... why can't we find her?" Skylor's head snaps up to look at Jay when he finishes his question, and she realises just how much they've tried but failed to find Nya.

"I... I don't know..." Skylor stutters, racking her memory to find an idea she may have had but which was discarded. She couldn't find one. "We've searched the whole area, PIXAL's checked the base of the cliff, the sea, the lake and the forest, we've tried to locate her beacon but her bracelet must have broke when she fell. That is where her beacon reaches right?" Jay nods. "Great. So that must have broke. What other options are there?" Jay shakes his head and shrugs.

"Nothing." he replies. Skylor sighs and drops her gaze to the floor again. "All we can really do is put up missing posters for her around Ninjago or something. And then just hope for the best." Realising it's the last resort, Skylor nods.

"What other choice do we have?"

Chapter 11

"That's the least effective plan by statistics. In any given situation, be it in a movie, TV series, book or even real life, 'missing person' posters have never been that useful in a search for someone. In fact, most of the time, the person simply shows up again or some far-fetched event befalls them and everyone involved in the story, causing them all to reunite again."

"Yeah, but what other choice do we have?"

"It's a bad idea, to be honest."

"It's the best bad idea we have!"

The monastery is full of noise, with ninja arguing over the plan laid out before them. Kai, Skylor, Jay and PIXAL all support the idea of the missing posters, while Lloyd, Cole and Zane doubt it. Eventually, after a few minutes (which feel like centuries to Skylor), Lloyd, Cole, and Zane give in, and agree to post about Nya's disappearance. Each ninja travels in a pair with another. Cole accompanies Jay, Kai goes with Skylor, Zane takes PIXAL, and Lloyd ventures out on his own. Dareth and Ronin soon join them, taking posters from one of the pairs and sticking them around together. By the time the team all return to the monastery, Dareth and Ronin included, Sensei Wu and Misako have left to inquire at the police station about the water ninja. Lunch time rolls around, and Wu enters the building, leaving Misako alone in the courtyard. Cautious about Claire's possible return to taunt the ninja about their missing member or to continue to fight, Skylor immediately leaves the building, joining the old woman in the courtyard, looking over at the murals on one wall. _The same wall _she _was looking at. _Skylor's stomach churns uncomfortably, and she fears that she may lose her lunch. Instead, Skylor tries to focus on something else. Noticing the girl's discomfort, Misako speaks up.

"So, this is where Claire showed up?" Not trusting herself to speak, Skylor nods silently, though she doesn't look back at Misako. "Of course..." Misako mutters under her breath, drawing Skylor's attention. The girl sees the old woman leave the yard, heading into one of the rooms beside the main monastery building. Curious, Skylor follows, finding herself in a small square room lined with books of all different colours, sizes and topics. Misako has plucked a scroll from its hole in the wall, and is now standing at a small pedestal. The book rests upon its flat surface, and the old woman scans the parchment intently.

"Of course!" she exclaims quietly, alerting Skylor. Misako tells her to get the other ninja, so Skylor finds herself tearing through the monastery as fast as she can carry herself, telling whoever she passes to meet Misako in the library. She returns to the room five minutes later with Cole behind her, finding everyone crowded around Misako. After checking that everyone is present, Misako starts to read the scroll in her hands.

_"Determined to best her,_

_The worse will challenge the better,_

_Who will have her brothers,_

_While the other has the traitors. _

_One will prevail, after many fights,_

_And several sleepless nights,_

_And Ninjago will survive,_

_Though different from before."_

It all means nothing to Skylor, but Zane and PIXAL shoot terrified looks at each other. _Of course they know what it means. They're Nindroids..._

"What?" Kai breaks the stunned silence. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Misako explains, "that Skylor will have to face her sister..." there is an uncomfortable pause. "Without Nya." _Of course... with her brothers... _The room echoes gasps as everyone interprets the sentence differently. Everyone knew the big fight was coming, but no one thought that Nya would be gone for it. They all expected to find her before then. _While the other has the traitors... _

"_While the other has the traitors..." _Skylor mumbles, not sure of where she is taking this until she says it. "What if Nya's one of them?" There is a flurry of noise, and Skylor's hands fly up to defend herself from any oncoming blows that she is so used to receiving after this level of noise. _Calm down, it's been years, he's dead. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master. _"Okay, okay, I take it back! It was just the heat of the moment! Besides, she never really liked me anyway..."

"Nonsense." Kai cuts her off. "Nya loved you like a sister! Like a team mate! In any case, if we can't find Nya, why should they be able to and have her on their side?"

"That's the thing!" Skylor exclaims. "What if we can't find her beacon's signal because she's been taken? That way, it wouldn't be giving off any signal. I bet their hide-out is underground as well, so that would cut off much contact with us. And you told me that you weren't getting anything back on the earpieces. Being underground or out of Ninjago would cause that, so... wait, what if they've gone back to—"

"Chen's Island!" All of the ninja come to the same conclusion at the same time, and fresh panic surges through the team. Skylor nods, her mouth as dry as the Sea of Sand. No one has fond memories of the island, since the Tournament of Elements revealed a lot of things to each ninja about each other, not to mention who they were competing against. All of them remember discovering Zane's newly-rebuilt titanium form, Kai's corruption from the Staff of Elements, Skylor's reveal, Kai's apparent betrayal of the ninja, Chen's plan, and finally, possibly the most effective thing from that tournament, Garmadon's sacrifice. Looking back, no one is entirely sure how Zane's death fighting the Overlord led to Garmadon sacrificing himself to the Cursed Realm, but everyone knows that it did happen. Somehow. Sensei Wu then enters the library, inquiring about their discovery. Misako relays the information to him as Skylor leaves, followed by PIXAL and the ninja. The party-of-seven stay outside in the yard for half an hour, discussing theories on Nya's disappearance and the 'prophecy' why just heard until one of them suggests to go in for lunch, gaining nods and mumbles of agreement from everyone. _This is going to be a long day. _

**A/N: so that's that. I'm sorry I took so long to get these out, and chapter 11 is soooo much longer than I was expecting... oh gosh. Anyway, I should have a new entry out soon, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe overmorrow (day after tomorrow), I don't know, but it will be out soon. I think. See you guys soon. **

**LunaPikazard**


	8. Nya

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I've just come home from a family holiday, and now I'm aching like nobody's business (ha ha) but yeah, these are the new instalments of "Help her!". Recently, I've found out that is only letting me have one word in my chapter titles, so that's why I've got 'Prophecy', Gone, History, etc. Because all of them are one word titles. That's all they'll let me have (for some reason). If anyone else is getting this, please let me know. Also, if you have a way to fix it, again please let me know. On another hand, I've been thinking about only releasing one chapter at a time because it makes naming the new chapters so much easier. So this may be the last two-chapter instalment. Just a heads-up. Anyway, onto CHAPTER 12?! Jeez. Wow. Okay. Moving on. **

Chapter 12

After the food, most of the ninja feel better than before. The exact opposite ccsn be said about Skylor. She had hardly eaten, and still she feels worse than she had in a long time. _Is this what Nya felt after Cole fell off the _Destiny's Bounty _while they fought the Oni? Responsibility, guilt, just pure sadness... _

A knock on the monastery gates shakes Skylor from her thoughts. The sun is fading behind the horizon, casting bright oranges, reds, pinks, purples and blues across the sky like spilt paints on a canvas. The air smells sweet, and has a slight salty tinge to it, due to the sea being so close to the temple. Skylor takes a deep inhale of it as she walks towards the door separating the courtyard from the mountain steps. Kai, Jay and Cole walk behind her, all curious.

"Did any of you hear someone come up those stairs? 'Cos I didn't." Jay mumbles to his brothers-by-bond, causing both Kai and Cole to shake their heads. A hand grabs Skylor's arm just as she places her hand on the doorknob.

"I don't recommend opening it." Cole warns her as he lets go of her arm. Skylor's eyebrow shoots up questioningly, and Cole explains their suspicions. Shaking her head, Skylor laughs quietly.

"Chill out! It's probably just the postman or a fan who wants an autograph." Skylor replies as she turns to face the door again.

"Yeah, well, if it's a fan wanting an autograph," Kai whispers as he follows Skylor, "we're gonna need to move from here to a new base."

"I've never heard you complaining about a fan!" Jay responds, eyebrows raised. "Why would now be any different?" Skylor smiles, but shoots a quick "sh" over her shoulder before she once again puts her hand on the handle of the giant red wooden door. _Time for the moment of truth. _Skylor pulls the door towards her, and sees, there on the top step...

_No. It can't be! But...!_

_**Nya.**_

**A/N: so yeah. That was chapter twelve. I take back what I said before, the previous chapters were the last ones to be paired together. Hopefully now it should be easier to name the new instalments. Anyway, I'm hoping to get chapter 13 out today as well, since I have nothing else to do today, so keep an eye out for that. **

**Also, apologies for the inconsistencies in the last chapter. I said they had lunch before Misako found the prophecy, then they went in for lunch again after the discussion. But let's just say I meant dinner. It works better with this chapter and the timeline. **

**So, Nya's just turned up at the monastery. In case you didn't get that. But what happened to her? Read the next chapter (if you dare) to find out...**

**Nah, I'm just kidding, this ain't a horror film. But yeah, you'll find out soon. **

**Bye guys!**

**-LunaPikazard. **


	9. Sunrise

**Guys I'm back!! Sorry for the long break, I've been busy, and tomorrow is no change, but hopefully I can get this out before dawn. *yay***

**Anyway, thanks Dyphen for all the reviews, also to everyone who reviewed, thanks and I'm glad you're all enjoying this story I wrote. I recently noticed how the story has diverted from the title, and I'm sorry. This was meant to end ages ago, but I thought it wouldn't work out so I've been planning on the go. That's right, Nya was never meant to fall but it came in a flash of inspiration and I loved it and kept it in! Chill out Dyph, Nya's... well, you're about to find out how Nya is. Also, no, she didn't just walk up there... urgh I need to stop giving spoilers before you read the next chapter. But don't worry, she gets more than just a chair XD.**

**Anyway, y'all didn't come here to read this, but the chapter, so bye for now, see you at the end of the chapter. **

Chapter 13 **(HOLY CRAP)**

Skylor stands in shock and horror as she looks down at the water ninja. She's curled up on the top step to the monastery, shaking like a leaf and sobbing. Her legs are pulled tight against her body, her chin tucked into her chest, arms held before her face as they vibrate from her emotions. Her chest rises and falls rapidly. Skylor has never seen Nya so vulnerable, and the sight unnerves her as if Nya was her own sister. Tears roll from Nya's eyes as Kai and Jay lunge past the paralysed Skylor, and Jay's sobbing joins Nya's. He is soon too weak from his crying to hold his yang up, and Skylor races forward to help Kai hold Nya. Jay collapses, and Zane comes running from the monastery at Kai's shout to him and Lloyd. The youngest ninja appears moments after his Nindroid brother. Zane and Lloyd comfort Jay as Cole gently takes Nya from Kai and Skylor, holding her as if she were made of glass as he carries her into the building, though Skylor doesn't know where he's going to put her - as far as she knew, the monastery didn't have a hospital wing. Kai puts his hand on Skylor's shoulder before grabbing her and holding his girlfriend in a tight embrace as he tries to hide his own emotions.

It's a few hours before Skylor hears of where Nya is and how she is. She is severely reminded of her own time in hospital after Claire's attack **(****y'all are meant to hate her, btw Dyph, she's the villain XD) **and Skylor knows how the others had been feeling. Though now, instead of guilt, immense sadness, and the strange responsibility for Nya's fate, Skylor just felt concern and anxiety for the water ninja. _She'll pull through. She's tough. Possibly tougher than any of the rest of us. _At first, only Jay is allowed in to see Nya, who was placed in her bedroom, and that's where he is now. He has been in there for a couple hours, just talking to Nya, and Skylor wonders what she's telling him. _Is she blaming me? Is she telling him what happened to her? Does he now know how none of us could find her? What is she telling him?! _Skylor is shaken from her thoughts as Cole sits on the sofa on her right hand side, Kai sitting on her left with his arm around her. The sofa sinks slightly under their combined weights, and Skylor fears that it will collapse like Jay did upon finding Nya at the door. So far, Zane hasn't been allowed near enough to Nya to check her for injuries or marks of them, so he instead paces the room from wall to wall with an unreadable expression on his face. His bright blue eyes glow though he can't hide the dark thoughts in his head. Lloyd and PIXAL mutter to each other on the opposite sofa in the living room, and Skylor hears snatches of their conversation.

"I just don't understand how we didn't find her."

"I have so far been unable to check upon Nya, so I have not inquired on that either, but I do believe that Jay will soon return from her side and inform us of the reasons."

"Yeah, but he's been in there for ages. At this rate, we won't be able to talk to her until tomorrow."

"If Nya needs her rest after her conversation with Jay is finished, then we must allow her to slumber, for rest will help her recover from the events of recent days on her. She may have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after all of this for all we know. She seemed very traumatised when she appeared, as Zane told me."

"Yeah, she just looked so vulnerable... it's weird to see her like that..." Skylor is relieved to find that she is not the only one disturbed by Nya's display of weakness. After all, she is, as Kai and Lloyd had described her many times, their firecracker sister, and seeing Nya so weak shook everyone. Sure enough, what PIXAL guessed came true, and Jay emerged from Nya's room half an hour later, opting to sit on the floor at the foot of the sofa opposite Skylor. No one speaks for a few minutes, until Kai clears his throat.

"So," he starts, unable to hold his curiosity and fear back, "how is she?" Jay's head snaps up as he realises that the question was directed at him alone.

"Oh, yeah, she's okay now. She just needs to sleep." Jay replies, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand while his other lays in his lap, fingers fidgeting. "I don't know how long she'll sleep for, but I'm going to check on her every hour or so." His lips close into a tight line.

"Fair enough." Lloyd mumbles into the silent room, and he is heard perfectly clear in the lack of noise. His voice seems to echo around the room in the silence, which deafens everyone.

"I do believe I should stay with Nya while she rests. If she needs anything, I will be able to make sure she gets it. Also, in case an emergency happens. One of us should be there with her anyway. Jay, you can relax after your shift. I'll take over from here." Zane announces into the room. Before Jay can respond, Zane leaves the room, knowing that his anxious brother-in-blue would most likely protest, and makes his way towards Nya's room. _He probably just wants to go somewhere or do something. _Lloyd and Skylor stand at the same time, seemingly having the same thought, and Skylor exits the room and strolls out into the courtyard again. Lloyd, however, didn't follow her but went the other way, heading to his own room. Kai soon emerges from the doorway to stand beside Skylor, who stands at the top of the stairway up to the monastery, staring out over the landscape. The forest continues onto the left side, and that's where Skylor looks. As Kai approaches, Skylor slowly sits down on the rock, needing to rest her feet, and stretches out her left leg, holding her right by the knee, pressing it against her chest. Kai copies her, but extends both of his legs. The couple sit in silence for a few minutes as the sun begins to drop towards the horizon behind the monastery, seeming reluctant to let go of the twilight sky to make way for the moon. Skylor prefers the day, and often watches the sunrise and sunset, preferring to watch the sky change from cool colours to warmer ones. Nya is the polar opposite, preferring the night. Both have favourite times of the day, being the sunset for Nya and the sunrise for Skylor respectively. Recently, Skylor has taken to adding Nya's habit to her own, watching as the sun shifts between day and night twice a day, admiring the natural beauty for both of them. Nya's return would not stop her, however, until her technical-sister-in-law could watch the twilight herself, from staying outside during both sunrise and sunset. Admittedly, it hasn't been easy for Skylor to rise before the sun every day, but with each passing morning and evening, Skylor had known that Nya's return had been getting closer.

"Nya's still resting, and Zane's been guarding her room like a hound." Kai chuckles. Skylor can't help but smile. "He's hardly letting anyone _breathe _near her room, and may the First Spinjitzu Master help you if you try to go in there." Skylor laughs with Kai, and the world seems right again. The only difference is that Nya's back, though unable to fight.

The next morning, Skylor wakes to watch the sunrise again. She sits cross-legged on the cold stone outside the door of the courtyard, staring out over the forest at the giant star rising over the east of the horizon. At six o'clock, Skylor wanders back into the monastery and finds Lloyd and Zane sitting at the kitchen table, both holding large mugs of tea. Lloyd nods his acknowledgment to Skylor's presence at the table as she joins them, and Zane slides a cup of coffee towards her. Thanking him, she accepts the mug, blowing on the brown surface of the liquid, sending ripples through it.

"How did you know I was up this early?" Skylor asks before taking the first sip of her coffee.

"I noticed that recently you've been watching the sun rise, and I guessed that this was a new habit of yours. It means that you wake at about the same time as me, and I can occasionally hear you going out to the courtyard. I am sorry, but nothing gets past me, even in the early morning. So I made you coffee. I know you prefer it to tea. Kai told me." Skylor nods at Zane's explanation, and Lloyd looks slightly surprised. A small, possibly meaningless realisation hits Skylor, and she asks, "Aren't you mean to be watching over Nya? You said you would last night." Zane raises a thin blond eyebrow before replying.

"I did. I stayed with her during the evening, then Jay instead that he stay with her instead. Understanding his intentions and feelings for Nya, I allowed him to, demanding that if he should become drowsy, he had to inform me immediately so he could return to bed. However, he is still with Nya, and I guess she has slept soundly." Skylor nods her acceptance of the explanation, and Lloyd starts up a new, completely unrelated conversation, clearly still disturbed by the image of Nya looking so helpless and vulnerable. Skylor understood perfectly well, making a mental note to make Claire pay for the pain she had inflicted not only on her invincible sister-in-law, but on the entire team. _Oh, she'll pay quite dearly..._

**A/N: I understand this one is rather long, and it's to make up for the short previous one. That one was kinda rushed, I'm sorry, and this one is to make up for its meagre length. I hope to make the next few chapters longer as well, but only time will tell. Dyphen, thanks for all of the reviews, and I'm now kinda glad it's the summer too! Oh gosh, I can now just imagine you chasing me around, oh gosh... anyway, glad you're enjoying the story. See you guys soon. Maybe even later today! So be prepared! **


	10. Normal?

**Hey guys! I was busy today, but if I wasn't, I would have had this out earlier. Also, tomorrow will be busy again, so don't expect one tomorrow, but please be grateful if I can release a new one. I'll try, but no promises. :)**

**Anyway, so we know Nya's back now! :D**

**I'm sorry I had to take y'all down Emotion Lane, but it was necessary! But now, onto the next chapter!**

Chapter 14

Skylor paces outside Nya's room nervously. _What will the water ninja say to me? Will she blame me for this? But how am I responsible? She leapt in front of me. I didn't push her. Did I? _Nya's voice comes out through the wooden door, weak and quiet, granting Skylor entry. She slowly, carefully, pushes the door and steps into the other girl's room, pulling it shut behind her. The redhead then sits cross-legged on the floor by Nya's bed, regarding her younger sister-in-law as she lay, recovering, in bed. Her left wrist has been wrapped in bandages, and Skylor wonders why. Noticing where Skylor's gaze is, Nya lifts her arm off her mattress, letting Skylor have a better look. Gently, Nya lowers her wrist, and Skylor carefully holds it in her fingers, remaining silent.

"It's just sprained. It's not broken." Nya reassures the master of Amber, though that hadn't been what Skylor has been worried about. Still, she wonders if Nya is hiding something worse under the white wrap, possibly cuts that would leave scars like her own. _At least we can be different together... _

"So..." Skylor doesn't realise what she's saying until she's said it. "What happened? Why couldn't we find you again? Where did you go?" The questions all come out in a long, uninterrupted stream, and Skylor only just manages to stop it with intense self-control. Nya, however, seems unaffected by the sudden quick-fire inquiries, and answers them in their own ways.

"It's a long story, and one I'm saving for when I only have to tell it once. Again, I'll explain later. You couldn't find me because I wasn't there. I realise that only raises more questions without answering any, but it's necessary." Nya frowns slightly, and Skylor mirrors the action, though she remains silent.

"How much longer do you think you'll be... confined?... to this one room? When do you think you'll be recovered enough to... you know... walk around again and fight and... just resume your life before this all happened?" Nya laughs slightly at the word 'confined' before answering Skylor's newest question.

"Honestly, I really don't know, but I think and hope that it'll be soon. I really want to be able to... how did you word it?... 'resume my life', but I don't know how long it'll take. Besides, my wrist is sprained so that will take time. Even more if it really is broken. Zane and PIXAL are still unsure about it." That doesn't really comfort Skylor, and she shifts uncomfortably on the aqua-blue carpet.

Two hours later, Skylor is training outside with Kai, preparing for another confrontation with Claire. Ever since they heard the prophecy of Skylor's oncoming battle with her adopted younger sister, everyone has been put on edge, insisting that almost every spare second is spent training. The master of Amber is no different.

She and her boyfriend spar in the courtyard until another figure appears in the doorway of the monastery, and Kai's head turns distractedly, giving Skylor a moment to strike. She lands a kick on the right side of Kai's head, and he spins as he flies through the air before landing, face down, on the concrete of the courtyard ground. Nya's laugh can be heard from the doorway, and Skylor grins as she looks at the master of Water. The two girls high-five, and Nya starts to give her brother a mini lecture.

"Never take your focus off of your fight, Kai! That was one of the first things Master Wu taught us all!" Skylor laughs harder as she walks towards the front doors of the building in pursuit of a glass of water. Life will soon be back to normal, since Nya has already recovered enough to walk around and snark her older brother. Yes, things will be back to normal again soon. Though what is normal?

**A/N: sorry for the delay guys! I've been trying to get these out daily, but the lifestyle of a teenager isn't always gonna go the way you want. I've had stuff going on, and this weekend might be busy as well, so a heads-up for that. Expect a shortage of chapters this weekend, but if anything does come out, that'll be a pleasant surprise for all of us XD. Also, it's took two days to write, so that's why I said that "today was busy and tomorrow will be too" I wrote that yesterday, and today was busy, and I expect that tomorrow will also be busy... ya know what? I'm busy! But this is one of my biggest priorities, so I'll really try to get these out without losing too much sleep. That's right, I'm gonna try to post these at decent times in the day, not at midnight or four in the morning! Yayyyyyy...**

**I've also just realised that this one is again quite short, sorry about that, but I wasn't sure how to continue this chapter. Oh well. It's no longer _this _chapter that I need to worry about. It's now... CHAPTER _15?!_ Woahhhhh. Okay then. Wow. **

**Okay, so I'll see you guys soon!**

**WOW THIS WAS OUT BEFORE MIDNIGHT! IT'S A MIRACLE GUYS! *party popper***

**Bye guys! See y'all again soon! Hopefully!**

**-LunaPikazard. **


	11. “Thanks,”

**Hey guys! I'm back! I'm still having that issue with one-word titles for chapters and stories, so if anyone has solutions for that, please let me know in your reviews. Thanks guys!**

**Thank you all for the reviews as well, you guys are soo kind, and thank you all for reading and reviewing. Glad y'all are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Also, don't forget to read and review my one-shots, Together, Scars and Soulmates. You guys are epic, and thanks again for the support you've given me and my stories. **

**Anyway, CHAPTER 15! I can't believe how far this story has come already, and it's all thanks to you guys supporting it! So thanks again! **

**So, previously on "Help her!": (Honestly, I don't know why I do this sometimes, it's not like y'all would just skip a chapter or anything? Oh well)**

**So, Nya's returned and deflected Skylor's questions. But, she is now up and moving, not to mention already snarking Kai, so that's a good sign. So, without any further ado, onto the next chapter. **

***yeets y'all onto Chapter 15***

Chapter 15

Skylor isn't used to constantly looking over her shoulder to ensure her adopted younger sister isn't there, about to attack her, but now she must accustom herself to it. It's a new habit, and while she isn't embracing it in any way, it's necessary. Kind of. The new habit had saved her in her youth multiple times, so it may do the same nowadays too.

It soon turns out that yes, this habit is now necessary again. Claire has appeared on the horizon a few times, though no one is sure about how she is managing to levitate like a humanoid bird, but only PIXAL has the equipment and nerves to approach her, and the Samurai X has never gotten close enough to properly analyse Claire before she flies away, leaving the situation shrouded in mystery. Other times, Steven will suddenly fade into existence on a similar spot before soaring over or around the monastery, surveying the walls and foundations for weaknesses, Skylor suspects. Neither of them dare to approach the building, however, so none of the ninja are able to fight back without, like Nya, dropping over the mountain face, plummeting to their death. Rarely, both of them will be visible in the sky, though it isn't a common sight. When this happens, every inhabitant of the monastery will immediately rush into the courtyard, ready to fight back, to defend their home and family. Any time could be the time of the big fight between the Chen girls. So far, however, there has been no battle, and each appearance has been a false alarm, leaving all of the ninja team, along with Skylor and PIXAL, poised for attack in the courtyard, drawing cold sneers, cruel laughs and mocking jeers and points from the two flying people. Claire would often be multitasking, gripping Steven's ankle as if it were a literal lifeline, while also taunting the opposing team. Each and every time this happens, no matter how cruel it may seem, Skylor crosses her fingers and prays for Claire to lose her grip, to go plunging down towards the ground, just as Steven runs out of gas for his jetpack-thing, and for him to plummet down behind her. The satisfying thud would be heard in the courtyard as they landed, dying quick though painful deaths. And the rest of Ninjago would never have to know the terror of those two individuals who wished to wage war on the ninja and friends, to take over the realm, not to mention to have their revenge on Skylor herself.

So Skylor's anxiety levels heighten constantly, leaving her to wallow in her fear for days and nights on end. Now Jay isn't the only one suffering from panic attacks, and Skylor loses sleep.

Kai, however, always has her back, helping her escape from the horrors of her worries and her little amount of sleep, no matter how nightmarish her nocturnal visions can get. Many nights, her head is plagued by dreams of raging fires, the smells of burning, death and blood filling the air, blood and gore covering the ground, pain filling her body as the same scarlet liquid burns down her limbs as her adopted sister somehow looms over her, though both stand at their tallest heights, and Claire brings her gleaming red blade down to strike Skylor's torso, instead flinging her back into the World of the Awake again. On those nights, Skylor wakes abruptly, shooting into an upright sitting position, sweat pouring from her forehead as she breathes heavily, rapidly bringing breath into her lungs before expelling it just as quickly. Most occasions, Kai will wake with her and hold her until she relaxes again, calming Skylor, but rarely he will sleep through her panic, and Skylor will have to sit, panting, for up to two hours before she can regain her ability to relax, to get back to sleep. On these nights, she will huddle up close to Kai, and he will wake in the morning to find her snoozing in his arms, her head against his chest due to her curled position. Rarer still, Skylor will remain awake until the birds in the trees and sky sing their melodies to each other, shaking her from her paralysed state of mind and body. _This prophesied fight is ruining me. If I hadn't heard what that scroll said, maybe I'd be okay now, but no, I had to hear what that prophecy said._

The nights of little to no sleep drain both Kai and Skylor of their energy, leaving both tired and without much motivation while sparring. On several occasions, one or both of them can be found dozing in bed or on the sofas during training hours. Will this fight even be worth the stress? Skylor sure hopes so. As does everyone else.

Sparring has never been so serious in the memories of any of the ninja team. Even Zane doesn't have this on record. Which is saying something. The mock-fights are life-like, with little to no words, just the sounds of metal on metal, so loud it draws birds from their perches in the trees of the forest. The occasional Spinjitzu tornado is seen or heard, and its noise echoes in the silent courtyard, reverberating off the murals and walls. Sporadically, an elemental power will be used, sending fire, lightning, ice, green energy or earth across the courtyard. Skylor will, rarely, return the favour, mimicking a power to send it back at her opponent, or using another fighter's element, even if they are engaged in a different fight. Before long, lunch is called from the monastery walls, and Skylor sighs. _Finally. _All six enter the building to find Nya and PIXAL in the kitchen. As the others arrive in the kitchen, the two girls start to hand out sandwiches before joining them at the table to eat. It upsets Skylor slightly to see Nya unable to fight still, since she has been recovering quickly recently. Of course, her wrist is holding her back, because Nya is the only lefty in the group and she had sprained her left wrist. Being ambidextrous has its perks, but Nya has never really felt the need to just fight with her right arm. That means that Nya has lost the advantage of striking from a point that the enemies wouldn't have been expecting, considering the rest of the team are all right-handed so fight with those hands, so her clashes are longer than normal whenever she does train. She is also tired out easier, feeling more drained from using her right arm all the time, and she often skips the morning spars in the courtyard.

Nya joins the others in the courtyard after lunch, though she only spectates the mock battles, occasionally pointing out a flaw in someone's technique. Nya never struck Skylor as the attack expert of the team, though in this instance, it's a pleasant surprise to her. Instead of scowling when Nya tells her how to improve her fighting, like Kai, she smiles and attempts to execute the action as Nya recommends. Jay and Lloyd are also glad to get Nya's opinions on their moves, and Cole and Zane soon join them, pleasing the water ninja.

Two hours after dinner, Nya and Skylor sit together on the sofa, sipping hot chocolates that Nya made with the drinks machine in the kitchen. Nya is curled up like a kitten in one corner, while Skylor rests her right arm on the armrest next to her on the other side. A movie plays on the TV, and both girls stare intently at the screen for an hour without a word. During a commercial break, Nya stands and takes both empty mugs into the kitchen, and Skylor hears them clink against each other as she puts them into the sink to be washed up the next day. Nya soon enters the living room again, and returns to her seat on the sofa, once again pulling her knees up to her torso and wrapping her right arm around them, laying her left arm across the armrest.

"Thanks." Nya's voice, however quiet, seems loud in the room, and Skylor sharply turns her head to face her.

"What for?" Skylor asks. After all, why should the water ninja thank _her_? What had _she _done?

"For everything." Nya replies vaguely. "For not giving up on me. For helping me out with my injuries and traumatised, useless state. For supporting me. For welcoming my advise, even after my absence. For letting me back in without a question." Skylor hasn't expected this, and she recoils slightly in the cushions. Of course, she had welcomed Nya back with open arms, since she had been helping in the search to find her the whole time. She was so quick to let her back in, that there wasn't any time to ask any questions. She had missed the sound of Nya's voice in the monastery, and was just as ready to hear her suggestions for improvement as ever. Heck, after this long, Skylor would even have accepted insults and rage from Nya, as long as she could hear the water ninja's voice again. Nya could even become just as bad as Claire, and Skylor wouldn't bat an eye.

"That's what family's here for."

**A/N: GUYS I HAVE WIFI AGAIN!**

**Finally, a chapter that will be out at a decent time of day, not at two in the morning! :D**

**I hope you guys will forgive me for not posting this for ages, but like I said, we had no WiFi for a bit. A new chapter should be out in a day or two, but I have another long road trip across the country tonight, and I have no more mobile data, so this may have to be put off until Monday. *shrugs* sorry guys. **

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter, I just thought I liked the whole fluff at the end, cos for a long time I pictured Nya and Skylor as being really close friends. I honestly don't know why, but I did, so I made that fluff. I'm gonna be working on a new one-shot today as well, so be on the lookout for that if you enjoy my one-shots. I'm also gonna try to make a new story, also Skylor-centred. I write about Skylor because I just think that her character is still kinda shrouded in quite a bit of mystery. Anyway, see you guys soon. **

**Bye guys! See you all soon!**

**This is LunaPikazard, signing off. **

**(Ear rape version of the American national anthem.)**

**(Only emos will get that *sniffs* )**


	12. “Choke”

**Sorry for the long break I took, I've been working on two new stories. Well, they've both been released, but I'm still working on one of them. Anyway, this is the new chapter of "Help her!" **

**Enjoy.**

**Replies to reviews:**

**SJtiger: no and yes. No, you didn't miss Nya's explanation, since that will come in this chapter. Yes, we heard what the prophecy said. Heck, I even named the chapter 'Prophecy' XD it's okay hat you forgot though. Even I had to go through again and check that I had included it. By the way, guys, sorry for that really bad poetry in the prophecy. I hate poetry with every bone in my body, which is a nightmare when you consider the fact that I want to be a singer-songwriter and I suck at writing songs. :(**

**Dyphen: aww. I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling down, but I'm glad that my chapter cheered you up. Just know that if you ever want to talk about something, just message me. I'll always be there for ya, pal! ;) Anyway, glad you enjoyed the chapter. Just know that things will get better. Even when the wave goes down, it will always come back up again, as will your mood. I promise ;)**

**Wyvern42: I'm sorry that this reply is late. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad that you're glad that Nya's back. You'll get your reason, just keep scrolling lmao. **

**Okay, now onto the chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16 (JEEZ WE'VE COME A LONG WAY BOIS!)

A month after Nya's reappearance, she still refuses to give an explanation of her return. Until one night. Everyone has been pushing her for the last week, night after night, and she has finally snapped.

"It's a long story, so sit tight." She warns before launching into a monologue. "I fell down, yes, but I managed to grab a ledge as I fell. The fog covered my descent, so you guys couldn't see me land. When PIXAL came down to find me, I thought she was Steven in his giant mech, so I hid, and didn't say anything. The ledge was just above a crevice in the rock face, which was big enough for a few people to sleep in, so I spent a few nights there. I then tried to climb around the mountain to get to the steps to climb back up to the monastery. There were no handholds or footrests above me, so I couldn't just climb upwards. I mean, I'm not a dragon. I don't have claws that dig into rock that will help me climb a cliff. Anyway, it took a few days for me to get around, and my arms, back and legs were killing me from my landing on the rock. Also, I had to keep stopping every time PIXAL came down to find me because I thought she was Steven or Claire coming to find me, to finish the job. So I would hide during the day and sleep through the night in any gaps in the rock I could find that would hold me. The stairs aren't easy to climb at the best of times, so try doing it with no energy, a battered and bruised body and a dwindling will to live. I was hardly sleeping, and I've never had my energy drained so quickly. So I came back up. The fact that Claire and Steven had been patrolling the area anyway hadn't helped me out. So finally, I reached the top, with no energy. I barely managed to lift my arm to knock. I honestly thought that that movement would be my last. At least if it was, I would have been able to die knowing that I was home and that I would actually get a decent funeral, instead of just rotting in a cave in the mountain to be discovered in thirty years." Nya's explanation leaves everyone shocked into silence. Jay stares open-mouthed at his yang, uncharacteristically lost for words. Skylor can not find her voice either.

Everyone jumps when laughter fills the silent air. Kai.

"How in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master did you think that PIXAL was Steven?" He giggles. "His mech is, like, twice the size of PIXAL's!" Nya rolls her eyes in sync with Lloyd.

"Well, she was really close to me,so her mech looked so much bigger than it is, and I was so tired, my vision was messed up." Kai still laughs. "You try hidin our there for a week after nearly dying from the cold, thirst and starvation, not to mention the impact of the fall! I'm allowed to think I'm about to be captured or killed!" The Smith siblings end up in a full-on row, and Skylor excuses herself from the room, trying to suppress her own chuckles. Once again, she steps out into the courtyard and gazed around at the twilight above her. _I understand why Nya loves this time of day, but I still prefer the sunrise. _The air is cool against her skin, and she lifts her arms slightly to welcome it. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, taking in as much of the fresh evening air at once as she can.

"I knew you'd be out here again." A voice pipes up from behind Skylor. She knows that voice all too well, and it certainly isn't welcome here after what the owner of the voice has done to her little sister-in-law.

"You couldn't live with your own failure to kill Nya." Skylor replies, her voice echoing in the courtyard. She opens her eyes, but keeps her back to the voice. "Where did that bring you? Back to me." She finally turns her head and glares upwards at her younger adopted sister. Claire sits on the roof of the monastery, Steven beside her. She returns Skylor's stare, and they burn into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Claire breaks the eye contact. _Weak. _

"We never intended to kill Nya." Claire announces as she stands up. "We only wanted to take her in for questioning."

"Liar!" Skylor shouts, refusing to hold her fury in any longer. "You wanted to recruit her! You wanted to do what Chen did to Kai during the Tournament of Elements! But guess what? Newsflash, the ninja won't betray one another! They're family! That's what family is _supposed _to do for each other!" Claire glares daggers into Skylor's eyes, and Skylor reflects them, sending them flying back through the air into the flesh of the one who threw them. Claire shudders at the force in the eye contact. She drops from the roof, landing in front of Skylor.

"You only wanted to bring Nya into the darkness. But she'll never give in to the darkside." Skylor is confident in Nya, just as she should have been in Kai during her father's tournament. _I will not be wrong this time. _

"Oh she will. In time." Claire replies slyly, and Skylor has to fight herself to stop a chill from shaking her entire body from tip to toe. _Nya will _never _leave us behind. She'll _always _fight with us. Not against us. I swear. _

Claire reaches her left hand up, and Steven lifts his feet off the roof, hovering in the air with his jet pack. _This is my chance. _Reacting quicker than she ever knew she could, Skylor summons a fireball in her hand, using Kai's power against her ex, something she has done plenty of times. She hurls the flame at him, and he doesn't have time to move. The fire smacks him in the chest, sending him backwards from the force. Skylor then turns her attention to Claire, who flings herself at Skylor. The master of Amber barely has time to react, but Cole, Lloyd and Zane come bursting out of the monastery, heading the shouts and yells from the conversation and fight. Together, the four elemental masters grab Claire and Lloyd thrusts Vengestone handcuffs onto her wrists. Cole then leaps up into the roof, firing rocks and earth towards the boy with the jet pack. Steven ducks and soars off without a single glance backwards to Claire. The ninja were successful.

Claire is held behind more Vengestone bars inside the monastery. Skylor's reassurances to the others about Claire's lack of powers fall on deaf ears, so her cuffs and cage stop the flow of something she doesn't have. The sight of her adopted sister scowling at her from behind her jail bars makes Skylor laugh every time she sees Claire, and it makes her more resentful by the day.

"Stop, drop and drag me into place..." Claire mutters under her breath as she is pushed into her cage in the corner of the room.

"And lock the fire escapes!" Skylor calls over her shoulder to Lloyd, who quickly runs to lock any other doors in the walls, except the main door in and out of the room. Skylor slowly turns her head back to Claire, and she finds the younger girl right in her face.

"I'll break your pretty face..." she growls, and Skylor shoves her into her cell, slamming the door shut behind her. She locks the door and hold the key tightly in her hand before passing it to Zane, who puts it in one of he many secret compartments his metal body has.

Evan after two weeks, no information comes out of Claire about a base or a team, despite the questions from the ninja and their friends, so they end up dropping the idea of interrogating her, instead deciding to simply keep her behind bars for the rest of her life. That way, no one else in Ninjago would have to face the wrath of Claire, her boyfriend and 'the traitors', whoever they are. However, drama follows Claire everywhere she goes, and she and Skylor are fighting day after day. It's a nightmare for everyone else in the monastery, but they soon learn to block it out.

One morning, about three weeks after Claire's capture, Lloyd decides to call a group meeting. The team, including PIXAL and Skylor, huddle around the table, discussing tactics for finding Steven and his team. Zane recommends sending the Falcon out to search the entirety of Ninjago, and that is the plan that gets supported the most. That same night, the Falcon doesn't return, merely sending a message to the monastery's new screen in the briefing room, where Claire is being held. The ninja and team all watch through the Falcon's eyes as it soars over Ninjago, circling above one field. After a closer inspection, however, the man the Falcon had been watching turns out to not be Steven, just someone who slightly resembles him. Another week slowly passes until the Falcon returns to the monastery. Zane welcomes the mechanical bird back, and Nya notices a small sheet of paper clutched in one of its silver talons. Kai pulls it from the bird's grasp when Nya tells him to, and he passes it to her. Nya unfolds the paper, and Skylor walks over to her while the rest of the team just turns to look at her as she reads the paper out.

"Modern Day Cain. Social Climb. Do It All The Time." Nya reads, her brow furrowing. "What does it mean?" She raises her eyes to look at Skylor, who shrugs and takes the note from Nya. Skylor silently reads the message again and again, checking for any spelling errors or things hidden in the words. She realises that the first letters of each word are capitalised, and she points it out to Nya as they return to the table. Skylor puts the sheet of paper down gently, and the two girls examine it for any hidden messages. After two hours, it hits Skylor.

"There isn't a hidden message!" She exclaims, and Nya looks at her in shock after her sudden outburst of noise.

"That's what I was thinking, but you didn't need to shout it out loud." Nya replies, dropping her gaze back to the words on the paper.

"No, I mean that they don't have a secret word or something. They share one thing in common instead!" Skylor is smiling like a little kid, and Nya raises one eyebrow. "Modern Day Cain, Social Climb and Do It All The Time are all songs! I used to listen to them all the time as a young teen! I just can't remember who sung them..." Nya gapes at Skylor.

"Of course... I don't know how but they found me!" Now it's Skylor's turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "That's the secret message! I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME is a band, and they made Modern Day Cain, Social Climb and Do It All The Time!" Nya copies Skylor's smile, and the redhead soon returns the gesture.

"Nice to know we had the same taste in music as young teens!" Skylor laughs.

"What do you mean, 'young teens'?" Nya chuckles. "I still love those songs!" After a few minutes of pure gigfles, the two girls regain their ability to talk again.

"Okay, so the message that Steven was trying to send to Claire was 'I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME'. I really regret telling them both about those songs and that band." Skylor gets them both back on track.

"Oh, you clever little things." Claire speaks up from behind them, and Skylor silently sighs. "You sycophantic teens."

"What a precious basket case..." Skylor says in a pleasant tone to Nya, who holds back a laugh. Claire snarls at the two girls.

"Now shut your dirty mouth!" She shouts, and Nya can't hold back her snicker, letting a small chuckle escape her lips. "If I could burn this town..." Claire mumbles under her breath, and Skylor furiously turns around, charging at Claire. Nya holds her breath, glad that there are bars separating them, and that Claire has been cuffed.

"I wouldn't hesitate to smile while you suffocate and die!" Skylor exclaims, finally able to tell her sister what she has kept bottled up for so many years. "That would be just fine, and what a lovely time that it would surely be, so bite your tongue and choke yourself to sleep!" Skylor storms away from the cage, standing beside the table again. Nya does not dare herself to say anything, so she stays silent, running the precious minute through her head one more time. _That escalated quickly. _Skylor is thinking the same thing, though other furious thoughts echo it, many of them containing choice words about her younger sister. Nya tries to gently pull Skylor back into the conversation, and the other ninja are all paralysed by what they just witnessed, all huddled close together in one corner, wanting to be as far away from Skylor's rage as they can be.

"So we know that 'I don't know how, but they found me.' is Steven's message, which means that Falcon must have seen him yesterday. Either that, or Steven saw the Falcon. But how does he know that Zane has the Falcon? How does he know that it is with us?" Everyone else is still silent, and Nya feels like she's talking to a bunch of brick walls until Skylor shrugs and mumbles that she doesn't know. Jay, Kai, Lloyd and Cole all mimic her, but Zane and PIXAL remain silent.

"How good of a hacker is he?" Zane asks out of nowhere, and Skylor's head shoots up.

"Well... I don't know. I hadn't seen him in years until he turned up in that alleyway in New Ninjago City when we fought him the first time. He always told me how he wanted to become the world's best and most feared hacker though. He bragged about how good he was and how he would go on to hack into anything and everything, and how no one would be safe from his hacking skills. It was all absolute crap, but he would never shut up about it. Heck, he just wouldn't shut up. He was worse than Jay, and that's saying something."

"Hey!" Jay exclaims, offended, causing everyone except Zane, PIXAL and Claire to laugh.

"Anyway," Skylor continues when the laughter dies down, "why is that important?"

"Because if he really did go on to keep hacking," Zane replies, worry and concern lacing his every word, "he may have found out about the Falcon by hacking into my system. He may have done it while I slept, so I would have no idea he was doing it, leaving me vulnerable. If that's the case, however, we are in grave danger, since my database contains a vast amount of information about Ninjago and this team, including all of our allies, our enemies, our fears, our weaknesses, our bases, and more. He may even have the locations of things like the Teapot of Tyrahn, the Realm Crystal, the Sword of Sanctuary, the Armour of the Golden Master or the Time Blades, all of which could be used against us."

"What's the Teapot of Tyrahn?" Kai asks, oblivious to the looks that Nya and Jay shoot each other from either side of him.

"It's a magical teapot that contains a djinn, which is basically an evil genie that twists your words to benefit him and make you sleep with the fish. Luckily, no one's seen it for years, and I'm pretty sure that it'll stay that way. I hope so anyway..." Nya quickly explains before Zane can speak. Her voice slowly fades out at the end, while she and Jay eye each other with concern in their eyes. Skylor thinks they're hiding something from all of them, but she says nothing - _now isn't the time. _

"Well then, let's just hope that Steven _didn't_ hack you..." Kai says meekly, and Skylor has to bite the inside of her cheek to hold in a laugh. _It's just the way he said it..._

"Yes." Zane replies, fixing Kai with a look that could kill. "Let's."

**A/N: hey guys! This was the new chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. I've just released the first chapter to a new story I'm writing called We Aren't Heroes, so go check that out if you haven't already. Don't forget to review this or that, and if you do read and review We Aren't Heroes, make sure to tell me if I should stay as close to canon as possible, or divert a bit. Thanks for reading this chapter! See you all again soon!**

**By the way guys, don't be annoyed if you didn't get that reference at the end of the previous chapter about the ear rape American National Anthem. It's an MCR fan joke. Don't worry about it guys XD**

**-LunaPikazard.**


	13. The upper hand?

**I'm back guys! So, new chapter. I'm amazed by how far this story has come, and by how many reviews it has. It's all thanks to you guys, so thank you all so much for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing this story, it means the world to me. I'd love to be an author, so to know that people enjoy my stories means a whole lot to me. So thank you all. **

**Replies to reviews:**

**Dyphen: first off, I doubt you understand how hard I laughed when I read your comment. Honestly, that comment made my day! XD I don't want to give too much away, but I would be lying if I said that Claire stayed in that cage for the rest of her life like the ninja had planned. Also, of _course _I'm gonna make emo band references, what did you think my first dream job was when I was a kid?! XD Besides, I did warn y'all that there were gonna be references in my profile description, so don't say I didn't warn ya!**

**Anyway, onto chapter... SEVENTEEN?! FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER, THAT'S A LOT OF CHAPTERS!!! And to think I had planned for this story to only be twenty chapters at the most! And I still have loads to write...!**

**(Just keep breathing and breathing and breathing and breathing. I know I gotta keep, keep on breathing...)**

Chapter 17

Skylor couldn't remember ever hoping for something more than she does now. If Steven really has hacked Zane's system, the team is in risk of losing everything. Literally, everything. If Zane's database really has been exposed to the enemy and his team, the survival of the whole of Ninjago has been jeopardised.

Skylor can remember the last time Ninjago was threatened with destruction. In fact, much of Ninjago was, once again, in ruins after Garmadon had been defeated and locked up. He's still locked up, as far as Skylor's aware, and Skylor hopes that he, like Claire, will be behind bars for the rest of his life. She hopes that that time was the last time that Ninjago would face demolition, but Skylor knew that wasn't to be. Steven, Claire and their 'traitors' would make sure of that, not to mention any other opponents the ninja and their team would face in the future.

Skylor is shaken from her memories as a knock sounds against her wooden door. She grants them entry, and Kai pushes her door open, stepping into her room.

"What's up?" Skylor asks as Kai sits next to her on her bed.

"Does something have to be up for me to want to see you?" Kai smirks, looking at his girlfriend through the side of his eye. Skylor smiles in response. "But, yeah, there is something. Zane needs everyone in the screen room now."

"The screen room?" _This can't be good. If _Zane's _calling the meeting, something has _got_ to be bad. _

"Yeah, the room with the screen." Kai replies, laughing. "The one that's got Claire's cage in it."

"Oh, right." Skylor couldn't help but chuckle at Kai's reasoning behind this name, and she stands and follows him out of the room.

The two enter the screen room to find the rest of the team there, crowding around the screen on the far wall. Zane is plugged into the screen, and his Falcon-vision shows what the mechanical bird is seeing as it flies around over Ninjago. The footage being shown is now a few hours old, meaning that it is from that morning. Jay asks about why they are watching the video now instead of when it was live, and Zane explains how no one was in the screen room for a few hours after the time the Falcon had sent that feed in. So now Jay is blushing while Cole gives him that look that says 'I bet you feel stupid now' while Nya elbows him. Everyone looks towards Kai and Skylor as they walk in, and Zane smiles slightly. He then clicks on the screen and the feedback from the Falcon starts. The bird is shown flying over New Ninjago City, following a man. The man does rather look like Steven, and everyone looks over to Skylor for confirmation. However, the master of Amber is unable to tell if the man truly is Steven without a good angle to see his face from.

"Does the Falcon see him from a different angle? Because I can't see the dude's face, and his defining burn scar is the only real way for me to be able to tell if it's him or not." Zane nods even as the Falcon flies over the man it's watching, and Skylor peers at the large screen. Zane pauses the playing video as the man's face comes into view, and he uses the snipping tool to take a photo of it. He then pulls the image up onto the screen. It's a lot larger than the feedback image, but Skylor still can't tell. Zane zooms into the image until Skylor can clearly see the man's face.

"It's him." Skylor announces confidently as she stares into the face of her ex-boyfriend. He glares into the distance, past the Falcon, and Skylor can easily recognise the large scar across his face. She can feel the usual flash of pride as she remembers how he got that scar, but she tries to stop it from showing on her face. _He had been asking for it though. He had it coming. _Zane nods and unpauses the footage. Steven runs through the alleys of Ninjago City, making a break for the outskirts. The Falcon soars over his head, remaining out of sight. Steven is very close to the end of the city, but instead of escaping the alley he's in, he climbs a ladder that's attaches to the side of a house, pulling himself onto the roof of the building. He then leaps between the buildings, and stops in the heart of a cluster of houses. This part of the city has been constructed in a different manner to the rest, do the houses are in a tight circle. The Falcon struggles to keep its glowing eyes on Steven as he sprints between the houses, running at his top speed to the end of another alleyway. He stops at the end of the alley and glances around quickly before hauling himself over the wall. He lands and stops. The Falcon rests on the roof of the house next to him, zooming in to allow the ninja and team to look over his shoulder as he types something into a panel in the wall. The Falcon hops along the roof, positioning itself behind Steven. It's a number pad beneath a screen, which reads 5824. A hole opens in the ground against the wall Steven just climbed over, and he drops down. Seconds later, the hole closes up, sealing Steven in the ground.

"So _that's _where his hideout is!" Kai exclaims, grinning. "Finally, we have the upper hand again!" Someone else clears their throat.

"Actually," the voice continues, "I'd say you've had the upper hand since you captured me." Skylor groans.

"Shut _up, _please. For once in your pathetic life!" Skylor is on her last straw, but tries to keep it together. Snapping would not be good now. _You must keep it together. _

The team has finished gearing up and now stands in the courtyard waiting for Lloyd to emerge from the monastery. So far, no one has any idea on how they will get to the city soon enough, but Lloyd had claimed to have a plan. After the destruction of the _Destiny's Bounty_, the ninja and team have been left without a method of transportation and a great feeling of sorrow on their shoulders. They all miss the flying pirate ship, but know that they must move on. Lloyd soon exits the monastery, and he leads the team through the front gates. Lloyd leads the team down the steps of the mountain in silence. No one has the energy to talk, and the only sounds that are audible are their feet pounding against the rocks and their heavy breathing as they run. Lloyd reaches the bottom of the steps and stops, waiting for everyone to arrive beside him. The entire team stops and stares at him for a minute before he pulls something from a pocket in his ninja suit. It's a small metal contraption with a circular green light, and Cole immediately gasps upon seeing it.

"The Earth Driller! Of course!" He grins, but it soon drops. "But it can only hold seven of us. We're a team of eight."

"I will go in the Samurai X mech." PIXAL responds, and she summons the mech to her side. It drops through the sky and it's blue-and-gold weight shakes the ground as it lands. PIXAL leaps into it, pulling her Samurai X helmet on, as the rest of the squad get in the Earth Driller. Lloyd steers the Driller into the city as PIXAL soars off into the air. _This is it. This is the time I finally get to see my evil adopted younger sister's evil base which is apparently full of people who have betrayed others. What could possibly go wrong?_

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to release. I normally post these during the night/early morning, and I've been sooooo tired recently. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't passed out yet XD. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to get the next one out soon, but no promises at the moment, sorry everyone. I've just been so tired and busy recently. However, right now, this story and 'We Aren't Heroes' are my top priorities. Anyway, I'll see you all soon, but I need to sleep now. Bye y'all!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	14. This Madness

**Hey everyone! I'm finally back with a new chapter! This is chapter 18, and it's still shocking to me to see how far this story has come. I mean, I was thinking only about ten chapters at first but now it has nearly double that amount! Also, I doubted this story would ever get over 5 follows or favourites, but now we're not even done and it's got 8 favourites and 9 follows. I love you guys, you're all amazing, and thank you all again for showing your support for my story. Also, since I'm going through a rough spot at the moment, knowing that people appreciate my work is really good. So thank you all. I love you guys, gals and non-binary pals!**

**Anyway, we're now onto chapter 18. **

**Replies to reviews:**

**Dyphen: I'm glad you enjoyed that PIXAL part lmao. And yeah, honestly, I'd be getting pretty mad at Claire too. Heck, who wouldn't be at this rate? XD Anyway, yes, I'll see you in this new chapter. And thanks again for all the reviews lol. **

**Chapter 18**

The ninja and their team arrive in the area in ten minutes while PIXAL drops from the air, slowly landing on the pavement. Skylor jumps out of the Earth Driller and follows Zane as he and PIXAL lead the rest of the team towards the area they had seen Steven enter the secret hideout of 'the Traitors', as they have been dubbed since the ninja first heard the prophecy a while back. As they approach the wall at the end of the alleyway, Kai falls into step with Skylor and takes her hand in his, hoping and praying with every part of his being that this wouldn't be the last time that he could do so. Skylor grips his hand tightly as they reach the wall. They all scan the walls nearby for the numpad, finding it and its screen after a few minutes. Skylor steps forward and types in the four-digit code, 5824. The ground shakes slightly as a small circular hole opens in the ground. Skylor stands at the mouth of the hole before gently lowering herself in. Kai tries to protest, but Skylor hushes him and descends into the gap in the ground. Kai, Zane, PIXAL, Lloyd, Cole, Nya and a terrified Jay soon follow her lead, climbing down the ladder in the hole as the ground closes behind them. Jay nearly screams as the team is plunged into darkness, and even Nya's soothing words aren't enough to calm him down at first. Skylor's foot taps against the bottom of the hole, and she uses Kai's power to light up her hand, giving them all some light. Kai soon mimics her, and even Lloyd sparks up a green flame on his hand, bathing the ground and walls in an eerie lime glow.

"So this is where your younger, adopted, evil sister hangs out with her friends." Kai says in a low tone to Skylor, who nods in response. "Not really what I would expect at first."

"Yeah," Skylor replies, still peering intensely at the thick shadows ahead, trying her hardest to make out any walls, doors or other obstacles in their path. "but then you remember who my father was and it's not so much of a shock." Skylor hears a few chuckles being stifled, and Jay has to have Nya slap her hand against his mouth to stop his laughter from echoing down the underground passage. Skylor holds her breath as they approach a large opening in the passageway, and she tiptoes through it to find herself looking down at a giant, bright room in the ground. She extinguishes the fire on her hand and creeps around the rim of the colossal pit. There is a ladder near the entrance, and Lloyd leads the team down. They try to remain in the shadows of the room. The ninja and team examine the room and those in it, though no faces can be recognised.

The room is carved unevenly into the floor and is rather round in shape. The floor is bumpy, rising and falling in random places. The walls are about 50 feet high, stretching up towards the ceiling, which resembles a large earthen dome above their heads. The sheer height of the room gives Skylor chills, and she can hear Jay start to breathe heavily behind her. She also hears Nya's quiet voice, trying to calm him down from his anxiety high. Unsure about whether she is successful or not, Skylor continues around the circumference of the large hole in the ground, still scanning the faces of the many people.

There are men, women and even a few kids in the hole, moving about hastily, keeping their heads down or their gazes straight ahead. No one looks to the side, allowing the ninja and team to creep past undetected. The ninja team reach the other side of the pit-room, and stare in shock at other rooms inside the walls. The rooms vary in size, and are piled on top of each other randomly, stretching up for miles towards the lip of the underground crater. There are square holes in each of the mud rooms, allowing what light there is into them. Children can be seen in the rooms of the lower floors, sitting in the dirt, holding small clumps of shaped mud that are moulded to resemble people, bricks, animals and buildings. Each person who inhabits the pit is alone when the ninja team see them, leaving the air empty, silent and cold. Skylor feels a shiver down her spine, and realises just how truly cold the pit is. She looks over her shoulder to see Kai signal to her to step into one of the dirt hallways connecting the rooms. She nods and slips into one as she approaches it. Each member of the team slides in to stop beside her, and they all face Lloyd or Skylor, unsure of who to follow in this situation - Lloyd is the normal leader for the ninja and their team, and has had lots of experience in being so, while Skylor knows the people behind the place they are in now, and quite possibly knows how their minds work. Eventually, Lloyd gestures to Skylor to lead the group, and she nods. She motions to everyone to huddle closer together.

"Okay," she whispers, addressing the entire group at once as she grabs a random stick in the dirt, "we're here." She starts to sketch out a rough plan of their surroundings, and explains the plan to them. Within ten minutes, everyone knows what they're doing and how to do it. Each person nods their agreement to the plan and they split into their pairs. Skylor and Kai remain in the tunnel as the rest of their team leaves. Jay and Nya turn left and head into another of the several tunnels connecting the rooms, disappearing from sight within seconds. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Cole leave to the right, heading for more of the mud rooms. They too vanish quickly. Zane and PIXAL leave the tunnel and head back into the main body of the pit before skirting around the edge of it, aiming for the ladder back up to the top. From there, they will scout out any danger, provide cover in case the team is discovered, or alert everyone else to Steven's presence should they see him.

_Everyone else is in place. Now let's go. _

Skylor turns and leads Kai deeper into the passageway, hardly daring to breathe. Their footsteps echo off the walls. Time to find Steven and put an end to this madness.

**A/N: well, here it is at last. Everyone, I am so sincerely sorry for the long time between this chapter and the previous one. I've had massive writer's block for this story recently, and I've been worrying about whether I'd be able to actually get this story where I want it to go. Not to mention I'm going back into school on Wednesday, and I'm busy tomorrow, so it looks like I'm not getting any sleep before my first day back /**

**Anyway, I will try my best to get this story out again, not to mention We Aren't Heroes and a new chaptered story I've started writing. That story will, surprise surprise, also be about Skylor, and will be called Security Footage if this site lets me have that. Either way, it'll be on my account soon, I hope, so keep an eye out for that if you like my work so far. **

**Honestly, this story has come so far, and I just want to thank you all for that. You are all incredible, and I love you all so much for all your support of my stuff so far. So thank you all again so much. I realise that all I seem to do now is thank you all and apologise for late updates XD**

**Oh well, see you all soon (hopefully). Well, all of you except Sleep. I probably won't be seeing that for a while... hey ho. **

**See you all later, guys, gals and non-binary pals, peace out!**

**-LunaPikazard. **


	15. Panic Mode

**I've only just realised that I've pretty much just semi-abandoned this story, and I'm so sorry! I've been focusing on my other stories too much, and I've been busy, and I'm behind on homework already, so yeah. Also, I'm in another rough spot emotionally, but hopefully that'll be solved pretty soon. :)**

**Oh well, it's been way too long, so here's a recap:**

**The ninja, along with Pixal and Skylor, have found Steven's hideout in Ninjago City, and have infiltrated the base, splitting into teams. Now Kai and Skylor must find what they came for, and destroy The Traitors ASAP. Can they do it? Find out in this chapter!**

Kai follows Skylor down the corridor, squinting in the half-light. The girl in amber turns her head and looks him straight in the face. Without a word, she raises her right hand and sets it on fire, returning her gaze to the darkness ahead. Kai's hand illuminates behind her, and the two walk on in the silent shadows. Even their footsteps are quiet, their breathing barely audible. Above their very heads, inhabitants of the hideout cross their floors, and the dirt around the ninja cracks slightly, dust falling in places and resting next to their feet. Skylor stops and holds her breath while Kai almost slams into her.

"Sky-" he hisses quietly, and Skylor hurriedly shushes him, pressing her left forefinger to his lips. The fire ninja shuts his mouth, and Skylor pulls her finger away, though neither dares to speak.

Footsteps echo down the corridor.

Skylor's eyes widen and Kai stares in fear. The two race back down the corridor and dart around a corner, hiding behind the wall, their bodies pressed firmly against the dirt. The footsteps get louder, and the two can hear someone breathing heavily, furiously. Guessing from their footfalls, Skylor assumes that a male is approaching them, and she shoots a warning glance to Kai, who retreats further down the passageway. The footsteps' volume increases, and Skylor goes into panic mode. Survival is key to this mission. Grabbing Kai, she opens up her elemental arsenal, skimming through for one.

Fire, Ice, Water, Energy, Mind, Metal...

Shadow.

The two disappear from sight just as the person rounds the corner. Sure enough, Steven storms towards them. Kai sucks in a breath as Skylor backs into him, cowering like a frightened rabbit from the wolf clawing into its den. He quickly slaps his hand over her mouth, holding her own hand tightly against his arm so that neither of them become visible. The girl's breath is hot on his skin, and Kai can feel her quivering against his chest. Steven passes without glancing at them, and Skylor sighs, sliding down the wall and landing on the floor, breathing heavily as she releases her grip on Kai and the power of Shadow. The pair become visible again.

Crouching, Kai lays a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly shakes off, snapping her head up with fear in her eyes. Kai recoils, and Skylor's facial features relax slightly when she realises who stands over her.

"You okay?" Kai asks, already knowing the answer. Skylor, however, nods and tries to push herself up off the ground. Her arms buckle under her, and she falls back down. Hard. Both Kai and Skylor flinch as the sound echoes down the mud corridor, but their silence is met with more of it. No one has been alerted to the presence of the team. _Yet._

The masters of fire and amber creep further down the corridor, listening intently out for any tell-tale sounds of the presence of another person. Halfway down, Kai gently takes Skylor's wrist and pulls her around a corner, into the shadowy, dimly-lit mouth of a different passageway. Skylor bites her lip.

"You don't need to worry about what happened back there. I'm fine. It was nothing." Skylor cuts Kai off before he gets the chance to speak, and he shakes his head as she speaks.

"You know that I know you better than that." He replies, lifting her chin up so she can face him. "What's wrong?" Skylor shakes her own head, releasing it from Kai's gentle hold. Her gaze drops to the floor again, and both bow their heads slightly.

"I'm sorry," Skylor's voice is barely more than a whisper in the echoing silence. "But it's nothing. Nothing to worry about anyway. If it happens again, I'll tell you everything. I promise." She finally lifts her gaze and looks him in the eyes, which he returns. The two stay stock still, staring deeply into each other's eyes for a minute or two until footsteps hit their ears again. This time, the steps are lighter and quieter. They also sound further away.

Kai pulls Skylor behind him and pokes his head out over the corner, examining the corridor ahead. He catches a glimpse of someone walking past the end of the corridor, but he can't tell who. They appear to be a woman, however.

Ten minutes later, Kai and Skylor run on light feet through the dirt of the underground labyrinth, scanning every room for Steven. He is nowhere to be found. _That isn't a good sign. _

"I know he's here somewhere..." Skylor mumbles, more to herself than Kai.

Finally, Kai signals to Skylor, and she appears at his side, peering cautiously into one of the rooms. Sure enough, there in the centre of the room, is Steven.

His room is on the third floor, somewhere between the centre and the outskirts of the maze of corridors. His is also, possibly, the dimmest room out of all of them. Even the empty rooms had more light than Steven's which had... two people? Skylor squints, trying her hardest to determine who the second person is.

"What I'm saying," a rather high, female voice piped up, "is that we should take them by surprise! They'll be expecting an attack soon, and they'll start preparing. However, if we strike before they're ready, we may be able to defeat them!"

"No." Steven's deeper voice cuts through the air, impatience lacing his tone. "Claire told me to move only once she is back with us. Until then, we wait for her return from the ninja's monastery."

"Very well." The female replies, frustration in her voice. She steps forward, and her silhouette moves closer to Steven's, taking his hands in hers. Biting her lip, Skylor leans closer to the window, still staring intently at the shadow of a person. _I know her from somewhere, I swear I do. But where from?_

The female lowers her voice, and Steven replies in a similar hushed tone. Kai and Skylor exchange glances before throwing their heads over their shoulders. The two people are locked in each other's tight embraces, and Skylor barely holds in a gasp.

_He 'cheated' on me in our 'relationship', and now he's doing the same to my sister! We may hate each other now, but I will not let something as horrid as _this _happen to her. Especially not when it's _him _doing it to her. _

Skylor's right hand closes around a dagger in a holder on her sleeve, and she shoots Kai a look. Kai nods sharply, reaching for his own blade. Ducking beneath the window, the two approach the door, waiting for Steven and his concubine to release each other.

Finally, Skylor kicks the door open, which falls back into the room. She and Kai simultaneously spark up flames on their hands, shooting them at the extinguished torches around the room, which bathe the room in new light. The orange glow illuminates the two Traitors. Of course, there's Steven, and Skylor realises why the female had seemed familiar.

Her hair is purple and hangs at her shoulders, her lipstick a similar shade. Jagged bangs cover her forehead, and she glares at Skylor intensely. Her armour is also violet, with gold trim and red sections.

"Skylor Chen." She says, false cheeriness in her voice. "Long time no see."

"Yes." Skylor replies, returning her glare, daggers in the air between the two. "I just wish it could have stayed that way for a little while longer, _Chamille._"

**So that's the end of this new chapter. **

**I'm glad to say that since this took me a few nights to write, I'm already feeling a bit better about myself, and I'm now up to date with my homework (more or less) so hopefully I'll have chapters up more steadily. I still need to make a schedule for uploading these chapters, but at the same time, I feel like that level of pure unorganisation makes my page a bit more unique. After all, as the great Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco once said in the song Vegas Lights from the album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die, "we're all not here for nothing and we're bored with looking good". (I don't care if that doesn't quite fit, I like that quote and I wanted to use it. I think it fits. Kinda)**

**Anyway, Chamille's here now! Yep, she's a Traitor. She's one because in season nine it's revealed in one of the conversations that Chamille is now a villain, no longer on the same side as the ninja and the resistance and whatnot. So yeah, she betrayed them in a way, so now she's a Traitor. Also, I feel like this role fits her, and I didn't want to make another new OC. I've made enough for Ninjago over my life XD**

**Anyway, please Review on your way out if you want, but until then, I'll see you all in another chapter!**

**Peace out everyone!**

**-LunaPikazard. **

**_Hey Logic, how long until that schedule is made? It's been forever dude!_**


	16. Chamille

**I'm sorry once more for the late update, but I've been updating my other stories in order again, with the most recent updates being the one I updated the longest ago, so I am kinda updating stories in an order, so... yeah.**

**So now, here's the new chapter of "Help Her!".**

**At first, this would have been the final chapter in my mind, but I'm so grateful to all of you that it isn't. And also, my notes and plans overflowed, so yeah. **

**Anyway...**

**CHAPTER TWENTY!**

Kai is frozen as he stares in shock at the girl in front of him. _Chamille. _She had been at the Tournament of Elements two and a half years ago. They had all lost contact from her after that. Even Toxikita, her best friend. Skylor had said that she had thrown her lot in with the ninjas' enemies, but Kai never suspected that they would find her here. Yet here she is, standing before him, a look of pure hatred and malice on her face, aiming her steely gaze at Skylor. Kai feels something flare up inside his chest, and his hands ignite with the flame he had been gifted with at birth, burning bright with fury. Before he can move, however, Chamille flings herself towards Skylor, striking her hard in the chest. Skylor can't avoid the move, and she is thrown backwards towards the doorway. Chamille doesn't stop herself while she's ahead, and she jumps closer to the Master of Amber again, even as Steven leaps towards Kai, who sends fire blazing through the air to defend himself and Skylor, who pushes herself up behind him. Skylor barely avoids Chamille's next attack.

"I've got her, you take Steven!" She yells over her shoulder to Kai as she flips onto the other side of the room, a snarl on her face as she whips around to face the Master of Form again. Chamille grins evilly even as Skylor fires ice in her direction, attempting to freeze her solid. Chamille dodges the blow, and the ice slams into the wall behind her, resulting in a loud smashing noise. A giant crack appears in the dirt wall, and the entire room shakes from the impact, the cries and shouts of other people echoing in the mud corridors. Skylor bites her lip as the sounds of pounding feet running through the passageways meets her ears.

"Kai!" She shouts across the room. "We've got company!" The Master of Fire frowns as he throws more flames through the air towards his opponent. Steven ducks and the fire extinguished itself against the wall. That's when the idea hits him.

"Skylor!" He calls back, and the Master of Amber kicks Chamille backwards, turning her head towards Kai with a curious expression on her face. "You need to bring this place down!" Skylor's eyebrows shoot up questioningly, and Kai flips to her side, while Chamille dodges another blow. "You need to fire some ice or Earth or something at these walls, bring the ceiling down. Hopefully it'll crush them and maybe even bring the floor down with it, giving us an escape route!" Skylor nods, a grin on her face that Kai wouldn't have liked to see in his direction two and a half years ago.

The Master of Fire runs towards the doorway, igniting the flames on his hands once more. Skylor soon joins him, standing strong by his side.

"You know Steven," She says, and Steven meets her gaze, anger in his eyes. "I always knew your pride would be your fall!" With that, she summons earth to her fingers, sending it flying towards the far wall of the room. The two ninja hear the mud crack and split even as the roof collapses. Steven and Chamille give one more shout each before being crushed beneath the dirt, and Kai grabs Skylor's hand, dragging her away from the scene. The two race through the corridors, retracing their steps the best they can, trying their hardest to avoid any of the Traitors in the passages.

After a few minutes and several close calls, they emerge back in the large pit, heading at full speed for the ladder back up to Zane and Pixal. The nindroids run towards them, Pixal shouting into her headpiece. Skylor, Kai and Zane all barely hear her voice over the crackling static of the lines. Jay and Nya soon burst out of the corridors, followed closely by Cole. The three hurry up the ladder, pulling themselves up onto the pathway above.

"Where is Lloyd?!" Zane yells the second the others reach the top, and they all exchange horrified looks.

"Guys!" A voice, tiny in the commotion, barely touches their ears, flying through the dusty air towards them. Skylor and Kai throw quick glances over the side of the path, hardly spotting the little, green, dust-covered figure sprinting towards the ladder, trying its hardest to not be caught. Lloyd races up the ladder, and Kai and Jay grab his hands to speed him up the second he is within their reach. The ninja team turn and race towards the exit passageway, tearing through the dust and dirt.

Within ten minutes, the team, minus Pixal, climb into the Earth Driller, Cole in the driver's seat. Pixal soars overhead in her mech, ripping through the air towards the Mountains of Impossible Heights. Cole steps on the gas, and the Driller flies out of the alleyway, heading back to the monastery, mere inches behind the airborne Samurai X.

Lloyd grins in the backseat, his eyes narrow.

**A/N: so that was the new chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this, and that it wasn't too short. I had wished to write a bit more, but that's all for tonight. **

**See you all soon!**

**Bye everyone!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	17. I've got all the time in the world

**Guess who's back! Back again!**

**Sorry. **

**But yes, I am back everyone! Here's the twenty-first chapter of "Help Her!"! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 21**

Skylor leads the team back up the monastery. They chat noisily behind her. Kai quickly approaches her and gently reaches out to take her hand, but she flinches and rapidly looks over her shoulder. Kai recoils slightly until she relaxes and wraps her hand in his. Kai's curiosity and worry rise at Skylor's behaviour - he's never seen her so jumpy, and it only started after Steven's identity had been revealed. It doesn't take a genius to realise the correlations.

The team get back to the top of the mountain staircase after about twenty minutes, most of them panting and shouting. Somehow.

Of course Jay had to make it a race, and of course Kai had to take him up on it, so _of course _the whole team had to go hurtling up the staircase, barely avoiding the lethal fall to their lefts, and resulting in six very sweaty people and two unfazed nindroids. Naturally, Zane and Pixal reach the top first, followed closely by Jay and Skylor. Kai and Nya pant heavily behind them, and Lloyd just manages to keep up. Cole soon overtakes him, and Lloyd puts on a final burst of speed to beat him by an inch. Laughing and joking, the team enter the courtyard and stand around for a few minutes before someone turns the conversation to the events back in the Traitors' hideout.

"So does anyone know what actually caused that massive collapse? We could hear the crash from our positions on the other side of the pit!" Nya exclaims, nudging Jay's arm, and the rest of the team nod in agreement, save for Kai and Skylor. Zane soon speaks up.

"Yes, we could hear it too. What really happened down there?"

"Kai, Skylor, you two know anything?"

Kai bites his lip before Skylor launches into her explanation, gaining mutters of 'ohhh' and gasps from the rest of the team when Chamille is mentioned.

"The Master of Form from the Tournament of Elements?" Nya asks, and Skylor nods grimly.

"I knew she had joined some enemy team, but I didn't know she had joined my damn adopted sister!" She growls, fists clenched at her sides. Silence fills the courtyard for a few seconds until Kai asks if someone should go check that Claire is still in her confinement. Skylor and Lloyd nominate themselves almost immediately. Skylor lets Lloyd go, and the Green Ninja enters the monastery without a glance backwards. The rest of the team remain in the courtyard. Lloyd grins to himself. _Fools. _

Lloyd enters every room he passes on his way to find Claire's cell, and finally, after twenty minutes, he does.

She leans against the back wall of her cell, her body facing the vengestone bars that hold her in. Her left leg is extended but sits at a slightly awkward angle, while her right is curled beneath her, needing the extra body heat to avoid practically freezing to the cold, hard surface of more vengestone on the floor. Her eyes are closed until Lloyd makes a noise on a particularly creaky floorboard. Claire opens one eyes and stares at Lloyd with hatred on her face, fury and lust for revenge in her cold blue eyes. She rests her weight on her right arm, her hand planted firmly on the solid, freezing floor. Lloyd's face remains blank, devoid of emotion or reaction. Claire drapes her left hand over her left knee, and raises an eyebrow at him cockily.

"Back for more fruitless interrogation?" she asks, a light laugh in her voice. "You're still not going to break me! Try all you want!"

When Lloyd smiles without a word in response, she snarls. The legendary Green Saviour shakes his head and chuckles slightly. He takes one more step towards her. As his left foot lands on the wooden floor of the rest of the room outside her cell, a purple glow shines and starts to slide up his leg. It spreads across his body, down his other leg, up his chest and along his arms. His green gi changes as the violet ripple passes over it, revealing a purple outfit with a gold trim. Claire's eyes snap up to Lloyd's head, only for the purple light to envelop it, replacing it with the familiar face of Chamille. The two Traitors grin in silence for a second before Chamille breaks the silence, still smiling maliciously.

"Where do they keep the key to your cell?" she asks, sweeping her gaze around the room, searching every visible surface for a key of any shape or size. She doesn't find one.

"Zane keeps it in his system." Claire replies, gaining an alarmed and disgusted look from the Master of Form. Claire bursts out laughing at the shock on her ally's face before continuing. "He's a robot remember!" Chamille's cheeks turn a light shade of pink before she turns her head, determined to hide her embarrassment from the other female.

"I knew that." Claire only laughs harder, the sound of it echoing around the room and travelling down the corridor, past the slightly-ajar door. It rings in Chamille's ears.

"I'll be back." Chamille shoots over her shoulder to her teammate and leader even as she pushes past the door, shifting back into Lloyd and smirking with an evil spark in her eyes.

* * *

Lloyd shakes from fear and fury, pain tearing up his right leg. He holds back tears even as they spring to his eyes. Steven grins cruelly down at his vibrating form. He throws the boy back down, and he lands awkwardly on his injured ankle, sending him toppling to the ground. Hard. His gi is no longer green all over, some places stained red by leaking blood from a few shallow cuts on his arms and legs, little reminders of all of the abuse he's already endured. Not that he wants to, though. Who would? But Lloyd knows that, in order for his team to find him and defeat the Traitors before they can conquer Ninjago, he needs to stay strong and power through any pain caused by the man who towers over him. That includes the short blade being dragged across his skin, cutting through the flesh on his hands, arms and legs, leaving the several cuts that remain there. The cuts that may remain there forever, adding to his ever-growing collection of scars from battles.

"We only require information about your plans." Steven growls, his eyes flashing. Lloyd snarls like an animal, his lip curling over his top teeth. Steven stands straight again, no longer leaning over Lloyd's body. He sniffs as if to say 'suit yourself'.

"Well, if you're not going to give up that information, I'll just have to pry it out of you. Like taking candy from a baby." he smirks, and Lloyd's eyes narrow angrily.

"Good luck with that. I think you'll find that I'm even less likely to give you any information than Claire, and she hasn't given us any yet. But that's fine, because now we're even. We both know the locations each other's hideouts and some of those on their side. I'd say that's fair. So let me go and we'll let Claire go." he bites his lip as Steven seems to contemplate the deal. He soon turns around again to face the Green Ninja, laughing quietly to himself.

"I don't think so, short-ass."

Lloyd snaps. He pushes himself to his feet. Well, foot. Limping forward, he fixes Steven with the coldest glare he's given anyone for a while. "Then you best prepare to kill me, because you won't be getting any information from me in a hundred years!"

"Fine by me. While you may not live that long, I've got all the time in the world." Steven grins wider, his teeth seeming to glow in the shadows of the room. Lloyd's eyebrows shoot up his forehead, his jaw dropping at the implications of Steven's statement.

_Is he immortal?!_

**Well, we may find out next chapter!**

**That's right, that's the end of the twenty-first chapter!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any feedback or questions, feel free to leave them in the reviews! I always love to hear from you all, and constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated!**

**See you all soon!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	18. Disguises

**Okay, okay, I know, I was on hiatus for _A G E S_ but I have a reason! I am owning up to this - I haven't been in the place for writing recently since I've been stressed, depressed and weighed down by homework as well as the pressures of trying to keep my relationship alive as well as dealing with all of the changes in store for a recently-out non-binary in secondary school. **

**So yeah. Also, our WiFi has been acting up really bad, and I haven't been getting signal much in my room, which is where I write, so there's that as well, not to mention the fact that I now have a Wattpad account and I've been on that, just reading, I've been trying to catch up with what _I've _been reading because I'm behind on those as well, and I've been trying to get my sleep schedule to exist like it used to, since Remy seems to have just disappeared. (That's a Sanders Sides joke, don't worry if you don't get it. No one I know has actually gone missing.)**

**Anyway, I want to thank you all for waiting so long without leaving any passive aggressive reviews or anything about how I need to update again. Also, quick shoutout to the amazing CheezPretzel! Thank you so much for everything you've done for me, and I hope that your life will be as amazing as you are :D**

**Now, without further ado, here's the next chapter of "Help Her!" . Enjoy!**

**Chapter 22**

Chamille, still disguised as Lloyd, creeps through the ninjas' monastery, seeking out their Nindroid 'brother'. She passes each ninja's door quietly, secretly wishing she had some way to determine which room each ninja sleeps in.

"Greetings, Lloyd. Are you okay, brother?" Zane's voice, cool and chill, comes from behind her, and she rapidly turns around.

"Oh, hiya Zane." she replies, desperately hoping she isn't too far out of character. Thankfully, Zane doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. "Yeah, i'm okay. How are you? That mission was really _something_, eh?" Zane smiles softly as 'Lloyd' chuckles nervously.

"Yes, it was." he smiles before it soon drops, his face becoming slightly more concerned. "Are you sure that you're okay, Lloyd? You seem a bit... off. As if something is bothering you." Chamille quickly shakes her head, waving a gloved hand dismissively.

"I'm fine." Zane nods slowly and cracks another slight, friendly smile before opening the door to his right. Chamille acts as if she's turning to walk further down the hallway before spinning back around. "Actually, Zane," the Nindroid pokes his head out of the room and fixes 'Lloyd' with a slightly concerned expression, "do you think I could talk to you for a second, please?"

"Of course, brother."

'Lloyd' walks into Zane's room and swings the door shut behind herself, fixing her eyes on Zane with what Chamille hopes is a blank expression.

"What is bothering you, Lloyd?" Zane turns to face the Green Ninja even as Chamille drops the act and attacks. The Master of Ice has no time to call for help before being pinned to the floor by the Master of Form. She quickly tries her best to incapacitate the White Ninja, soon silencing him before finding a power switch on his arm. Grinning maliciously, she flicks the switch, causing Zane's eyes to flicker even as he whispers to her one last time.

"So you really _are _a Traitor." he sighs as his eyes go black. Chamille's grin wavers as she digs through the compartments on Zane's arm, searching for the key to her commander's cell. She soon finds the key and drops Zane's unconscious titanium body to the floor. He hits the wooden ground with a dull _thud_ as she turns and runs out of the room, swinging the door shut behind her. She tears down the hallways, eyes flicking left and right, anxiously watching for any sign of one of the inhabitants of the monastery. Thankfully for her, no one shows their face.

She reaches Claire's holding room and triumphantly waves the key around with a wide grin on her face. Claire immediately jumps up from the cold metal floor and punches the air in success and jubilation. This is it. She's finally getting out of here!

Chamille grins as she shakily unlocks the door. It swings outwards and Claire races out of the cell, throwing her arms around the Master of Form and pressing her lips to her cheek. The two girls laugh quietly, struggling to keep their joy secret. Finally, after a few minutes, their senses return. Chamille pulls a communicator from her back pocket and sends a quick message to Steven to come pick them up. He soon replies with 'I'm on my way'.

Chamille sucks in a breath as she shifts back into Lloyd's form, gripping Claire's wrist tightly. The other girl sends a smile before they exit the room.

Then they hear the ninja.

The six remaining teens enter the building, their voices mingling as they walk in a herd through the passageways. Chamille holds her breath as she pulls Claire round a corner and pokes her head out nervously.

The ninja, along with Pixal and Skylor, pass by without even a glance towards them.

Chamille slowly exhales before stepping forward and dragging her commander out from behind her. The two girls run towards their freedom, the faint sounds of a jet pack getting louder and clearer by the second.

Steven drops down into the courtyard, a new mask covering his face. He visibly eases when he sees Claire and Chamille emerge from the monastery without a scratch. He lunges forwards and scoops Claire up into his arms, lifting her up slightly and spinning her around. He gently lowers her as Chamille clears her throat, and Steven reaches out his left hand, which she takes. He then wraps his right arm around Claire's waist as his new jet pack ignites, carrying the trio off the ground and over the walls of the courtyard.

"Shall we leave them a farewell gift?" Steven chuckles as Claire and Chamille smirk and nod in unison. "Claire, my back pocket." The commander reaches into the back pocket and pulls out a grenade. She grins and snickers evilly as she pulls the pin and throws the explosive downwards towards the building below. The jet pack lifts them higher and higher into the light blue sky as the roof gets blown apart, bits and pieces flying into the air and tumbling into the courtyard. The murals on the wall get scratched and ruined by the shrapnel, the colours broken and shattered by rips and tears. Small chipping of stone fly, a few bouncing off of Steven's helmet and armour as the rest ricochet in all directions. One slices Claire's right cheek before she can move her head while another one lodges itself in a gap in Chamille's chestplate, digging into her skin uncomfortably. Satisfied with the damage, the trio soar away into the unknown, laughing maniacally.

**I know this chapter is short and pretty much just filler but I'm just trying to get things out again. I'm now on half term break, so hopefully I'll have some more chapters for deifferent stories out more this week. **

**For now, folks, this is all. I hope you all enjoyed this, and as usual, all reviews and DM's are more than welcome. If you have any suggestions, plot ideas, questions or feedback or would simply like a chat, just send me a message or leave a review and I'll get back to you at some point. **

**Thank you all so much for your patience. I hope you all have a good week. **

**See y'all later, guys, gals and non-binary pals!**

**Peace out!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	19. Destroyed

**Hallelujah! I'm alive!**

**Yay?**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for how long I've been gone, I've been behind on schoolwork and whatnot but now school is out and so am I!**

**Yeah I came out as trans recently and if you're gonna be transphobic then I have nothing else to say but fuck you because I don't need that shit in my life right now**

**Anyway, sorry again for how long it's been, I am now under a new name, one year older, vegetarian, out of school for six weeks and still battling mental health issues, but I'm gonna try to upload more**

**I also have loads to write since I've been starting chapters and whole new stories but haven't finished them which is incredibly annoying but I am working on them so hopefully they'll also be out soon**

**For now though, here is the long-awaited...**

**Chapter 23**

Skylor chokes and coughs as she forces her way through the rubble and out onto the stone floor of the courtyard, her eyes pressed shut. Kai calls her name, relief flooding his voice, as he runs towards her, Cole close behind him. The two boys gently pull the Master of Amber to her feet even as she continues to cough the dust out of her throat. She slowly opens her eyes to see the group before her.

Nya and Jay are sat next to the door, the former coughing with one arm wrapped around her own torso and the other on her boyfriend's shoulders while the latter runs a hand through her hair, trying his best to comfort her. He has a small cut on his left cheek which is slowly leaking down his face and he occasionally wipes the crimson line away with his spare hand. Zane has a few dents of varying sizes on his body, the worst seemingly being the one on his torso. Even Pixal has a few dents and scrapes, while both of them have scratches in their metallic, shining skin. Cole has a rather large hole in one of the knees of his gi, revealing a bright red scrape over his right knee, blood trickling down his skin from a few small spots. His left arm also has a rip in the sleeve, a long but thin cut piercing his shown skin. Kai seems to have gotten out with possibly the least damage, only a small line of blood slowly making its way down the left side of his head, inches above and to the side of his eyebrow. Skylor then runs her eyes over her own body, seeing the scratches on her legs and arms, oblivious to the gash on the right side of her face until pain erupts from within it. She winces but restrains from touching the site.

Only then does Skylor look over her shoulder.

The monastery, once proud and tall in the dying light of sunset, is now in ruins. The roof, which Skylor remembers laying on, staring up at the twinkling stars high above in the heavens, waiting for Pixal to return from her search for the missing Nya, has been completely demolished by the explosion, tiles blown to pieces which even now hurl towards the sea below. Small splashes reach the ears of the ninja and their team as some of the tiles collide with the waves, sinking down into the cold darkness below. The walls of the building have fallen apart, the stone crumbling. Chips and chunks have smashed into the painted murals between the decking and the courtyard doors, scratching the colours and ruining the art. All the memories made, the nights spent, the meals eaten, lessons learned, everything seems to have been destroyed in the blast.

A single rear rolls down Skylor's cheek, slipping into the large cut on her face, sending pain rippling through her body again, but she barely flinches, taking a moment to remember and mourn the monastery.

The home of the ninja, the place where Master Wu and his brother were raised by the First Spinjitzu Master, the birthplace of the Ninja team as they were known, now reduced to nothing more than ruins once again.

**Okay so I know this chapter again is kinda filler but I'm just trying to ease my way back into writing and uploading again, and I really like how this came out so I think I'll just...**

**Yeah I'll just leave this with y'all. **

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, I guess, even though it wasn't as happy as some of the others have been, and I hope I'll see some of y'all again soon in my other stories. If not, then hopefully I'll have the next chapter up again soon. **

**As always, don't be worried to drop a review if you want to on your way out, I always love to hear from people reading my work. My inbox is also open, so if you want to you can send me a DM and I'll get back to you when I can. **

**For now though, this is Tyler, signing off. **

**See ya!**

**-Panic1AtTheHere**


	20. The fire dies eventually

**Hi everyone, I'm back again!**

**So I'm sorry for the gap in updates but school has started back up here in the uk and I've been doing a lot of homework and wasting some time playing Among Us with friends (brilliant game by the way, would recommend, but trigger warning for deaths) so yeah, not a lot of updates recently. **

**I'm gonna try to get more into the swing of updates and I meant to continue stories over the weekend but plans don't always go the way we want them to, so...**

**Anyway, that's enough of my ranting so let's go!**

**(Damn why do foxes always scream so loud, I'm trying to focus and sleep here)**

**Chapter 24**

The ninja team sit huddled close together, a few shivering slightly in the breeze blowing through the gaps of the courtyard wall on the eastern side. Skylor feels a deep shudder ripple through her body as goosebumps rise across her arms, her teeth chattering against each other for a couple of seconds.

Kai notices her shaking and wraps his arm tighter around her shoulders, drawing her in even closer, allowing her to feed off his body's emanating heat. Being the Master of Fire, Kai's body temperature is naturally higher than average, often making him the walking radiator for the others.

The small amount of wood the team could salvage from the wreckage formally known as the Monastery Of Spinjitzu burns dimly in the centre of the circle, the embers glowing a deep red as several tiny flames rise and fall, waving and swaying in the wind. Nya sighs quietly, her breath becoming a plume of white steam that floats away on the breeze, carried away far over the ocean. The small cloud soon becomes invisible, melted into the surrounding air. The Master of Water then shuffles slightly closer to the fire, rubbing her hands together before holding them nearer to the dying flames. Skylor then lights up a small glow in her right hand and holds it towards the fire, which soon grows a size or two, though it is still considerably smaller than everyone first expected. The Master of Amber can feel her goosebumps slowly retreat every second, though a few stray shivers still pass through her body.

Master Wu soon raises his head, his eyes opening for the first time since he enveloped himself in his meditation, his damaged conical hat tilting as his gaze lifts. It lands on the fire before moving to the long bamboo staff laying to his left hand side. His hand rests on it for a few seconds before closing around the staff and he forces himself up onto his feet.

"We can not stay here." His voice is met with a few whispers before he holds up his right hand, palm exposed in a signal to his students to hush. The group soon falls silent again, only the crackling of the fire and the light breathing of each person audible in the near-silence in the courtyard. "They know where we are, and that we are vulnerable. The blast has destroyed most of what was here, other than a few particularly special scrolls, so it would be unlikely that the Traitors would find anything of use. If we stay here, however, not only may we freeze or starve, they will know exactly where we are, the extent of their damage and how to strike while the iron is hot. We can not afford to stay here any longer."

This time, there is no response.

A few of the ninja turn their heads to face the ruined building behind their Master, tears building in their eyes and threatening to spill over, while others simply stare at the tiled ground in denial. Kai shakes his head as he brushes roughly at his left eye and cheek. Zane soon stands and takes two steps closer to the destroyed monastery, kneeling a foot or two away from what remains of the front decking. He then bows his head in respect for everything that has been lost, and he is joined within minutes by the rest of the team, abandoning the fire to die slowly, the red glowing embers soon reduced to mere ash.

The team hold their hands on each other's backs, silently mourning the memories made, and subsequently lost, inside the monastery.

Only two minutes have passed by the time the team stand in near perfect unison and step back towards the burnt out fire pit, Misako holding the few remaining scrolls from the ruins, and together the team leave the monastery's courtyard, descending the stairs in respectful and miserable silence.

Down through the large, scarlet and gold doors, past the old dragon roost a short way down the mountain, all the way to the flatter, grassy ground.

A few of the vehicles had been damaged by the explosion above, whether by small fragments of the mountain's rocks that had fallen or by large chunks of the walls from both the monastery and the courtyard, though some remain untouched.

Pixal lets out a relieved sigh as she climbs into her Samurai X suit, the front closing around her as she settles into place. She takes off, the large mech soaring high into the sky where it waits for the rest of the team to set off from the remains of their old home.

Nya, Skylor, Kai, Jay and Zane all cast their eyes upwards one last time before Nya wipes away a single tear from her cheek and forces the motion stick to her right forwards, the Destiny's Bounty lifting into the darkening twilight sky to meet the Samurai X.

Together, the team fly away from the mountain, and thus their home, for the final time.

**Again, I'm sorry this chapter is mainly filler but I honestly kinda like how this turned out so...**

**Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the story so far and I hope you liked this chapter! I aim to have another one up this weekend if possible, so keep an eye out for updates, even when you least expect it. **

**Also can I just say how awesome Among Us is? I mean, it's so great, I've already spent literally hours playing the game and I only got it yesterday. **

**Which may or may not be why I haven't slept much-**

**Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter and I'll see you all again soon!**

**Don't feel afraid to leave a review on your way out if you want to, I love to hear from people who read and enjoy my stories**. **It makes my day. **

**Thanks again for reading and I'll see y'all later!**

**-PanicAtTheHere**


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